CHOSEN    THOUGHTS 

A^-J  A^-*^  ^^.^  ^^.^  AJ-^  A^^J  Ay^J  Ay-^  Mt .  ^  ^^^  JK^jf^  Jf^T^p'^  ^tf  A^-tX  A/-^ 


-—     BY 

Ralph  Bernard  Hershon 

RABBI 
OF 

Temple  Isreai 


Uniontown*  Pa. -    1920 


^ 


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CHOSEN  THOUGHTS 


A    Series   of  Lectures 
Dclinrcd  hi/ 

Ralph  B.  Hershon*  A.  B. 

JiAJiBJ 

of 

TEMPLE   ISREAL 

Uniontown.  Pennsylvania 


Copyright         -  -  .  -         March,  19  W 


stack 
Annex 


To  the 

Memory  of  My  Father 
My  Teacher  and  Guide 

Ben  Zion  Hershon 


INDEX 


Page 

Preface    

1.  And  After  All,  What  Are  We?    1 

2.  Before   Whom   Standest   Thou?    5 

3.  Yom    Kippur    Day     9 

4.  Be  Not   Afraid    13 

5.  Castles    in    the    Air    16 

6.  Come  Thee,  An  Echo  of  Go  Thee   19 

7.  Forward,   Do  Not  Turn   Back    22 

8.  I    Seek    My    Brethren    25 

9.  Get    Together     29 

10.  Three    Promises     33 

11.  A    Mother's    Heart    37 

12.  Israel  Speaks  to  the  Nation 42 

14.  A   Cry   for   Zion    49 

15.  A    Great    Lesson    63 


PREFACE 


The  beautiful  and  remarkable  "thought"  expressed  in  the 
words  of  Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley  stands  as  an  advocate  for  my 
efforts  set  forth  in  this  book. 

"Up  and  be  doing,  is  the  word  that  comes  from  God  for 
each  one  of  us.  Leave  some  'good  work'  behind  you  that  shall 
not  be  wholly  lost  when  you  have  passed  away.  Do  something 
worth  living  for,  worth  dying  for.  Is  there  no  want,  no  suffer- 
ing, no  sorrow  that  you  can  relieve?  Is  there  no  act  of  tardy 
justice,  no  deed  of  cheerful  kindness,  no  long-forgotten  duty 
that  you  can  perform?  If  there  be  any  such  deed,  in  God's 
name,  go  and  do  it." 

These  "Chosen  Thoughts"  echo  my  soul's  yearning,  and 
open  my  heartfelt  cravings.  I  delivered  these  lectures  in  my 
pulpit,  with  a  burning  desire  of  earnestly  wishing  to  do  some- 
thing "worth  while." 

In  attempting  to  choose  my  thoughts,  I  believe  that  some 
one  may  benefit  by  reading  same,  with  an  open  mind  and  soul. 

The  author  therefore  prays  that  such  may  be  the  result  of 

his  labor.    Yet,  hoping  that  the  reader  will  understand  that  this 

is    not    an    exhaustive    work,    but    merely    that    of    "Chosen 

Thoughts." 

R.  B.  HERSHON. 
March,  1920. 


AND  AFTER  ALL.  WHAT  ARE  WE? 


"Vayhee  achar  hadvorim  hoaileh,  v,  hoelohieem  Neeso  as 
Avrohoni,  vayoiner  Avrohom  Henainee."  (and  It  came  to  pass 
after  all  these  things,  and  the  Loitl  proved — nay  trietl— 
Abraham.") 

Brethren,  in  the  silence  of  this  great  and  holy  hour,  in 
the  twilight  of  the  year — burdened  with  so  many  problems  and 
wonders — which  is  now  fading  away  in  the  mysterious  un- 
known portals  of  the  ages,  in  the  presence  of  a  New  Year  fly- 
ing to  meet  us  from  the  unknown  future,  our  hearts  beat  in 
one  accord,  our  souls  are  mystified,  our  lips  move  in  one 
prayer,  our  eyes  are  turned  toward  God  in  the  heavens  above. 

We  are  congr^ated  to  meet  with  the  past  and  the  future. 
AVe  feel  that  Gitd  is  here,  and  we  are  ready  to  listen  to  the 
words  of  our  holy  Torah. 

"And  it  came  to  pass."  Yes,  it  is  well  that  our  Rabbis 
have  apportioned  unto  us  the  reading  of  this  most  wonderful 
lesson  in  the  tirj'ing  of  the  human  staunchness  and  firmness 
of  conviction. 

"And  it  came  to  pass."  Ye,  Abraham  has  f(H*saken  his 
birthplace,  his  home,,  Ms  people,  and  oft'ered  himself  to  the 
service  of  his  One  God..  Abraham  endured  the  suffering  of 
the  wandered,  Abraham  rescued  him  friends  from  the  hand  of 
his  enemies,  Abraliam  sat  at  the  door  and  looked  for  the 
stranger,  the  weary,  the  tired,  the  needy.  Abraham  preached 
the  greatness  of  God.  Abraham,  the  pious,  the  just,  the  right- 
eous, the  faithful,  the  philanthropist,  Abraham  the  teacher, 
and  yet,  we  are  told  that  it  came  to  pass  that  after  all  tht^so 
things,  God  tried  Abilaham,  God  did  prove  Abraham. 

Why  should  Go  dhave  done  so?  Why  are  we  given 
this  reading  on  the  nosh  Hashonah?  What  important  lesson 
can  we  draw  out  of  the  Torah? 

Hoar  ye,   my   brethren!      Life   with   its   dazzling  circum- 


And  After  All  What  Are  We? 


stances  often  misleads  us  that,  in  oui*  endeavor  to  do  the  right 
and  best  we  know  how,  we  allow  ourselves  to  be  convinood 
thiat  we  are  just  and  righteous.  We  say,  "When  the  poor 
stretch  out  their  hands  we  gladly  respond,  when  the  widow 
sheds  her  tears  we  are  eagerly  trying  to  wipe  them  off,  when 
the  orphan  is  hungr>'  we  ar«  anxiously  rendering  him  relief, 
when  our  brothers  are  in  disti-ess  we  are  hurriedly  coming  to 
their  relief,  when  the  world  is  suffering  we  are  devotedly  send- 
ing our  share,  so  thinks  the  pooi«  and  the  rich,  so  thinks  the 
young  and  the  old,  so  thinks  the  pious  and  the  sinner,  and  so 
did  Abraham  think. 

In  the  sands  of  the  great  vast  desert  sat  the  old  Abra- 
ham and  waited  for  the  wanderer.  He  sat  alone,  for  old 
Abraham  was  denied  the  privilege  and  the  blessing  of  a  child. 
In  liis  mind  questions  about  the  greatness  of  Gotl  were  an- 
swered and  in  h:s  heart  his  faith  grew  stionger  and  stronger. 
And  Abmham  prayetl  and  his  pi'ayer  was  surely  answei-ed. 
Abraham  waM  blessed  with  a  son.  All  was  peace  within  the 
Iieart  of  Abraham.  He  did  his  duties  and  remembeivd  God, 
nay  even  taught  the  wonders  of  Gotl.  Yes,  like  many  of  us, 
having  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  healtli  and  financial 
strength,  having  obtained  a  certain  amount  of  happiness  be- 
come indifferent  to  great  questions   facing  us. 

AV'e  are  satisfied  and  we  rest  on  our  false  conviction  that 
we  liave  done  or  do  the  best  we  know  how. 

Oh,  but  has  it  often  occuiTed  to  you,  some  time  when 
all  is  sunshine  and  beauty,  when  all  is  hope  and  gladness, 
when  all  is  gay  and  joyfulness,  a  cloud  envelopes  the  raditint 
sun  and  eveiything  vanishes  under  the  mist  of  the  cloud,  leav- 
ing one  behind  it  wondering  in  amazement  why  has  this  taken 
place?  Why  has  God  robbed  me  fiom  my  beloved?  Why  has 
God  taken  away  my  dear  and  sweet  ones?  Why  has  God  cast 
this  great  misfortune  upon  us?  Why  has  God  turned  his  face 
away  from  us?  You  wonder  and  from  your  eyes  there  drips 
a  tear.  Oh  that  tear  is  full  of  woe,  of  protest  sometimes, 
and  then  it  is  wliere  the  reading  of  the  poi-tion  comes, 

"And  it  came  to  pass,"  when  after  we  struggle  and  Ijope. 


And  After  All  What  Are  We? 


when  after  we  love  and  sacrifice,  when  in  our  battle  for  exist- 
once  we  stumble  and  fall  and  rise,  when  after  the  day  of 
woiTj-  and  gi'iof  we  sit  down  to  contemplate,  when  the  vigor  of 
youth  is  vanishing  away  and  the  old  age  is  stoaling  on,  when 
our  lives  begin  to  feel  the  pressuj-o  of  time,  and  we  know 
that  we  have  tried  to  do,  to  give,  to  serve,  to  do  the  best, 
and  when  after  all  that,  God  comes  in  His  infinite  wisdom  and 
says:  Halt,  you  must  be  tried,  you  must  pi-ove  yourself.  It  is 
then  that  we  are  to  face  God  in  His  great  and  wonderful  mercy. 

So  it  is  tonight.  After  all  these  days  of  yearning  and 
waiting,  after  all  these  things,  we  are  now  to  be  tried  and  we 
must  prove  ourselves  of  the  severe  and  awful  test. 

What  is  it?  It  is  the  most  vital,  it  is  the  essence  of  Re- 
ligion— Faith  and  Readiness  to  execute  the  will  of  God. 

But  some  of  you  will  say:  Faith,  why  question  this? 
Are  we  not  here  assembled  to  give  voice  to  our  Faith?  Are  we 
not  ever  ready  to  assist  our  Faith? 

Therefore,  1  say  unto  thee:  Children  of  Israel  hear  ye 
the  voice  of  Crod.  When  all  these  things  have  come  to  pass 
and  I  call  upon  you  to  ofl"er  proof,  you  must  not  say  I  am  will- 
ing, I  am  anxious,  I  am  glad  to  do  it,  but  you  must  come  and 
say  in  accordance  with  every  fibre  of  your  body  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  every  spark  of  your  soul,  "Hinainee,"  "Here 
I  am." 

"Here  I  am."  That  is  what  Israel  needs  today.  That  is 
tlie  great  proof  of  every  one  of  us  tonight.  "Here  I  am."  Even 
though  I  may  have  come  here,  not  with  a  clean  hand  and 
heart,  not  with  a  full  understanding  of  thy  great  power,  not 
with  the  full  sympathy  of  my  belief,  and  not  ..ith  strong  con- 
victions that  in  thy  hand  lies  my  life  and  my  passing  out  of 
life,  that  oven  though  it  be  that  you  are  angry  with  me,  and 
tlie  shadows  of  death  aie  circling  about  me,  yet,  "here  I  am." 
I  place  myself  in  thy  hand  and  I  trust  that  in  thy  great  and 
wonderful  mercy  you  will  hear  to  my  supplications  and  grant 
me  thy   favors. 

Come  let  us  bow  our  heads  and  acknowledge  to  the  Al- 
mighty that  here  we  are.     Here  we  are,  ready  to  worship  on 


And  After  All  What  Are  We? 


this  gpciat  day  of  preparation,  Hero  we  are  willing  to  submit 
our  lives  in  thy  hand  and  ready  to  receive  thy  judgment. 

And  so  as  the  sun  glides  away  under  the  mountains  and 
leaves  behind  it  its  shadows,  and  as  we  lift  our  eyes  and  be- 
hold the  stars  and  the  moon  softly  beaming  upon  the  Universe, 
we  feel  that  God  will  bless  us  all  with  a  happy  New  Year  and 
that  He  will  give  us  all  strength  and  courage  to  carry  on  His 
great  mission  unto  the  universe  that  there  is  but  one  God 
who  is  supreme  and  that  we  are  all  His  children.  And  like 
the  stars  in  the  heaven,  like  the  moon  in  the  firmament,  and 
like  the  angels  we  lift  our  souls  with  them,  and  travel  into 
the  unknown,  trusting  everything  in  God,  since  we  are  always 
ready  to  say,  like  Abraham  our  father,  "Here  I  am."     Amen. 


Before  Whom  Standest  Thou? 


BEFORE  WHOM  STANDEST  THOU? 


*'Ye  stand  this  day  all  of  you— that  thou  shouldst  enter 
into  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  unto  his  oath, 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  niaketh  with  thee  this  day." 

This  is  a  most  striking  sentence  and  one  that  definitely 
arrests  one's  attention.  "Ye  stand  all  of  you"  for  whom  "be- 
fore God"  and  for  what  purpose?  "to  enter  into  a  covenant 
with  God." 

"Ye  stand  all  of  you."  The  evening  of  Yom  Kippur 
brings  you  all  here.  There  is  a  mysterious  sentiment  which 
sways  your  hearts  and  turns  your  eyes  toward  worship  in  the 
house  of  God.  The  twinkling  lights  which  mother  lit  on  the 
evening  of  Yom  Kippur  still  flickers  in  the  hearts  of  you  who 
are  gathered  hei-e.  The  teai-s  which  father  shed  on  the  evening 
of  Yom  Kippur  as  he  left  for  the  synagogue  are  still  floating 
before  your  eyes.  The  blessing  of  the  parents  on  the  evening 
of  Yom  Kippur  still  rings  in  your  ears.  The  friendly  grasping 
of  the  hand  by  one  of  your  dear  ones  on  the  evening  of  Y^om 
Kippur  is  still  warm  within  your  palm.  Oh,  the  spirit  of  our 
father  is  still  waving  over  our  heads,  touching  our  hearts  and 
making  us  realize  our  short  existence.  So  here  we  stand  all 
of  us,  with  our  heads  bowed  and  hearts  contrite,  with  ftrm  be- 
lief that  the  Almighty  will  hear  our  supplications. 

Children  of  Israel,  this  sentence  marks  the  very  life  and 
struggle  of  Israel.  This  sentence  pictures  before  you  the 
thousands  of  years  in  which  Israel  sufTered.  This  sentence  is 
the  light  by  which  Ismel  was  guided  through  his  miseries  and 
dark  days. 

"Ye  st^nd  all  of  you."  When  the  world  pointed  its  finger 
against  Israeli  and  convicted  hdm  as  the  convict  of  the  uni- 
verse, Israel  stood  for  it.  When  the  Inquisition  burned  and 
killed,  maltreated  and  defiled  Israeldom  in  Spain,  Israel  stood 
for  it.     W^hen  the  Russians  drank  the  blood  of  Jewish  people 


6  Before  WhoiH  Standest  Thou? 

and  washed  their  hands  in  their  bleeding  tears,  Israel  stocnl 
for  it.  When  the  Poles  broke  loose,  massaci-ing  and  laying 
Avaste  the  homes  of  the  Jews,  Israel  stood  for  it.  Oh,  and 
Avhen  some  bigoted,  narrow-minded  man  rises  here  and  there, 
in  his  vain  attempt  to  gain  glory,  he  tries  to  besmirch  and  be- 
smear, to'  scorn  and  to  discolor  the  Jewish  life  and  its  pi-in- 
ciple,  we  stand  for  it.  "Y^e  stand  all  of  you."  When  you  are 
scorned,  laughed  at,  and  ridiculed  unjustly  and  unwisely,  ye 
stand  for  it. 

Even  though,  the  light  which  illuminates  their  world  ht|s 
only  been  kindled  from  a  fire  that  our  fathers  have  blown 
up.  Even  though  the  songs  they  sing  and  marvel  at^  has  been 
played  upon  the  harp  of  our  wonderful  mnsiclans  thousands 
of  years  ago.  Even  though  the  ideals  they  pi-each  have  be^n 
long  heaitl  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion  and  in  the  wilderness 
of  Asia  by  our  gi'eat  pieachers.  Even  though  the  philosophy 
they  teach  in  the  Universities  have  been  long  ago  expounded 
and  founded  by  th;'  genius  brains  of  our  men,  men  of  Israel. 
Yes,  even  though  we  are  the  founders  of  ther  very  hope  and 
existence.  .  .  yet,  we  have  to  stand  for  all  the  c«>ntempt  and 
derision  of  the  entire  world. 

Nevertheless,  heie  we  are,  gathered  into  one  solemn 
group,  and  ye,  even  more  than  that,  when  the  world  is  enjoy- 
ing the  gayeties  of  life  and  our  neighbors  are  at  liberty  to  con- 
tinue their  battle  for  gain  we,  the  Jew,  is  bidden  to  stand  apart 
from  al  lof  the  pleasures  and  gains  of  life,  but  to  assemble 
in  the  house  of  God.  Thus  here  we  have  come  in  full  obed- 
ience to  the  word  of  God,  with  our  souls  uplifted,  we  stand  in 
this  house  of  worship. 

But,  I  think  I  hear  the  whispering  doubts,  hidden  in  tfie 
innermost  cells  of  the  hearts  of  those  who.  prone  to  accept 
the  unresisting  method  of  life,  whisperingly  question  them- 
selves whether  they  can  stand  all  of  the  tragetlies  of  Israel, 
and  why  they  should  stand  for  them?  I  say  then  unto  y»vu: 
You  who  are  weak  at  heart  and  ill  in  spirit,  you  who  are 
skeptic  and  failing  in  their  father's  strength  of  belief,  you 
who  are  questioning,  hear  ye. 


Before  Whom  Standest  Thou? 


It  is  given  to  the  human  heart  a  soul.  Those  two  must 
live  in  accord.  A  beast  differs  from  man,  in  that,  that  a  man 
possesses  the  soul  and  beast  does  not.  The  soul  is  the  divine 
spark  of  God,  which  illuminates  the  ways  of  the  man  in  his 
darkness.  No  suffering  is  compared  with  the  grief  and  loss 
of  one's  soul.  A  man  can  endure  ever  so  much  trouble,  ever 
so  much  pain,  ever  so  much  disappointment,  as  long  as  the 
'soul  lives  with  hun.  As  long  as  his  conscience  is  clean,  or,  in 
other  words,  as  long  as  he  is  near  unto  God,  for  that  is  tlie 
soul  of  the  man. 

Now  Israel  stood  for  all  of  the  great  suffering.  Why? 
Because  Israel  stood  before  God.  Israel  had  his  soul  with 
him ! 

Theiefore  I  say  unto  you.  If  you  want  to  keep  your 
soul  alive,  if  you  want  to  keep  the  fires  of  your  fathers  burn- 
ing, if  that  spark  still  flickers  within  you  somewhere,  then 
i-emember  tiiat  our  pui'pose  is  everlasting  life.  For  after  we 
have  gone  thi-ough  the  test,  lafter  we  stand  before  Grod,  Ye, 
you  all,  we  are  entering  into  a  covenant  with  God.  Let  the 
world  shout  with  contempt,  let  the  gainei^  accumlatc  their 
wealth,  let  the  fiivolous  dance  their  dance  of  death,  bu  we, 
nay!  we  liave  come  liitlier  to  "stand  before  God,"  so  that  we 
can  keep  the  covenant  which  oui*  fathers  have  made  with  God 
and  which  we  are  making  with  Him  now. 

Brethren,  the  night  has  come,  the  day  is  passing  away, 
and  we  are  coming  ever  nearer  unto  God.  Wake  up  your 
souls  and  call  them  to  thee.  For  it  seems  to  me  when  God 
wanted  to  light  the  soul  He  shook  the  universe  from  one  end 
to  another,  seeking  for  a  spark  to  Idndle  the  soul  of  mankind. 
He  sent  forth  His  angels  and  they  hovered  over  the  thousand 
globes  and  millions  of  stars.  He  shouted  and  the  earth  ti-em- 
bled  with  feair.  He  stretched  forth  His  hands  and  gathered  all 
the  golden  dust  and  sparkling  silver,  but  not  suiting  Himself 
He  cast  them  deep  into  the  mountains  and  spread  them  over 
the  waters.  He  then  beckoned  unto  the  glories  of  the  globes 
to  gather.  From  all  the  worlds  they  brouglit  their  lights. 
The  singer  sang   his  songs  but  the  heart  of  God  stow!  still. 


8  Before  Whom  Standest  Thou? 

The  poet  read  his  lines  but  God  was  unmoved.  The  musician 
tuned  his  harp  but  the  Almighty  was  only  pleased.  Suddenly 
God  heard  a  prayea*,  spoken  tenderly,  and  in  gi-elat  haste  He 
bade  the  singei>s,  the  poet.s,  the  musicians  and  the  glories  of 
the  world  to  hush.  Hark!  the  prayer  of  Abraham  was  rising 
and  swinging  its  way  heavenward;  a  Jewisli  heart  was  beg- 
ging and  praying  to  God.  Then  God  said  in  his  mightiest 
voice  and  in  His  thundering  sounds,  "I  HAVE  THE  LIGHT 
FOR  THE  SOUL!  AND  THAT  SPARK  SHALL  BE  ISRAEL, 
THE  SPARK  OP  THE  SOUL  OF  HUMANITY." 

Brothers  and  sisteirs  of  Lsrael,  tonight  we  have  come  to 
stand,  to  listen,  to  be  before  Go<1,  so  that  we  can  keep  the 
pledge  which  we  have  made  of  yore  and  whicli  we  are  making 
now.  Let  us  keep  that  spark  of  the  soul  M-hich  brings  us 
nearer  unto  Giod.  Tonight  we  are  apart  fi"oni  our  bodies  and 
desires  of  the  body.  Let  us  cherish  that  light  which  our  fath- 
ers lit,  let  us  then  dry  the  tears  which  our  fathers  shed,  let  us 
then  heed  the  blessing  which  our  parents  gave  us,  let  us  come 
n<^arer  unto  God,  to  "Stand  Before  Him."     Amen. 


Yom  Kippup  Day  9^ 


yOM  KIPPUR  DAY 


"And  the  prophet  shall  say,  'Make  a  path,  make  a  path, 
clear  the  way;  remove  all  obstructions  from  the  road  of  my 
people.  For  thus  said  the  Ix>rd,  who  inhabiteth  eternity  and 
whose  name  is  holy;  yon  high  and  holy  place  I  inhabit,  and 
1  am  also  with  the  contrite  and  humble  of  spirit.  Proclaim 
aloud,  spai*e  not,  like  the  sound  of  a  trumpet,  lift  up  your 
voice  and  declare  unto  my  people  their  transgressions  and  to 
the  house  of  Jacob  their  sins.*  " 

The  voice  of  the  prophet  rings  out  today  in  its  fullest 
application.  Today  we  are  awed  and  over^vhelmed  with  a 
feeling  of  Godliness,  spellbound  by  the  sweet  memories  that 
group  around  our  hearts,  when  in  the  days  not  so  long  ago, 
the  great  evening  of  Yom  Kippur  ushered  in  with  it  blessings 
and  forgiveness,  kindness  and  charity,  holiness  and  penitence. 

Oh,  you  all  well,  and  perhaps  too  well,  recall  the  meal 
Avhich  the  goo<l  old  mother  prepared  on  the  day  preceding 
Yom  Kippur.  The  entire  family  gathered  around  the  tabic 
in  perfect  solemnity,  eating  with  a  true  feeling  that  it  was 
because  tomorrow  shall  be  a  fast  day  to  serve  God.  There 
was  a  spiritual  spell  cast  on  the  group,  all  waited  in  trembling 
silence  when  the  father  commenced  to  pronounce  the  after 
meal  blessings.  As  he  reached  the  reading  of  "Shecheyonoo," 
thanking  God  for  the  life  reached  up  to  the  present,  there 
were  tears.  Yes,  tears  of  true  piousness,  tears  of  true  thank- 
fulness,  tears  of  true  devotion,  tears  of  complete  rect^ni- 
tion,  tears  of  utter  submission,  tears  that  came  from  the  faith- 
ful and  undoubting  heart.  Those  teai-s  were,  as  I  said,  on 
everj-  one's  clieeks.  Then  the  father  in  his  soft  voice  and 
crying  tone  rose  and  gathered  his  children  and  his  wife  near 
unto  him  as  though  he  wanted  to  protect  them  from  ail  evil 
and  worshippingly  blessed  them.  Silently  they  walked  unto 
the  synagosniP.     Silently  they  entered  the  synagogue.     Silently 


10  Yom  Kippur  Day 


they  opened  the  prayer  book.     It  was  Yom  Kippur. 

And  so  today  every  one  here  boings  some  kind  of  memorj', 
some  kind  of  holy  feeling,  some  kind  of  i-everence,  for  we 
all  feel  the  sacredness  of  this  great  White  Fast.  The  shadows 
of  the  past  are  descending  over  us.  The  day  is  gone,  night 
has  come  and  we  look  to  a  new  day,  a  new  year,  realizing  now 
on  this  day  that  it  is  the  hand  of  God. 

Come  then,  my  brethren,  hear  ye  to  the  voice  of  the  old 
prophet.  "Make  a  way,  make  a  wa.v,  clear  the  path.  Remove 
all  obstructions  from  the  road  of  my  people.  Lift  up  you  voice. 
Spare  not,  tell  the  people,  my  people,  their  transgressions." 

I  say  unto  you,  my  people,  where  shall  I  begin?  Too 
many  are  the  paths  that  ye  have  t-aken,  where  shall  I  seek 
you?  Too  many  places  do  you  frequent,  whcjre  shall  I  go 
after  thee?  Too  many  strange  gods  have  you  chosen,  which 
one  shall  I  break?  Too  many  evil  habits  have  you  adopted, 
which  one  shall  I  condemn?  Nay,  I  go  not  after  thee,  but 
like  the  prophet,  I  shout  unto  you  twlay,  "Clear  the  path." 

You  \Vho  have  chosen  the  ease  and  lust  of  life,  forget- 
ting that  in  the  flnal  you  will  pay  for  it,  you  who  have  chosen 
other  go(Ls  to  suit  your  convenience,  forgetting  tiiat  your  an- 
cestors have  sacrificed  their  lives  to  teach  to  this  world  the 
existence  of  one  God  only.  You  who  have  left  us  to  visit 
other  places,  forgetting  the  tendernei^js  and  the  love  of  your 
own  people;  you  who  have  adopted  other  modes  of  living, 
f oi^etting  that  the  life  of  your  people^  the  Jew,  is  everlasting, 
perpetual,  GO  THEE,  CLEAR  THE  WAY.  Stand  not  in  our 
path.  We,  the  Jew,  whose  heai't  still  beats  for  his  people;  the 
Jew,  whose  feelings  still  linger  with  his  people  of  yore;  the 
Jew,  whose  God  is  still  the  ever  JewLsh  God,  tlie  god  of  truth, 
of  righteousness,  of  mercy,  yes,  we  liave  only  one  goal,  one 
ideal,  one  craving,  one  longing,  and  that  is  to  remain  STEAD- 
FAST and  to  walk  in  THE  WAY  OF  OUR  FATHERS.  It  may 
be  slower,  it  may  be  faste«%  but  it  shall  be  on  our  father's 
piMh. 

The  Midrasli  i«elates  a  legend  'wliiclj  can  l»e  well  applle<l 
here.     At  the  foot  of  the  Lebanon  mountain  there  lived  a  Jew- 


Yom  Kippur  Day  11 


ish  family  in  peace  and  plenty.  God  blessed  the  father  and 
mother  with  a  son  and  daughter.  The  son,  a  sturdy  man  he 
was,  and  a  good  tiller  of  the  soil.  Often  as  he  sat  in  the 
field  he  would  dream  of  the  big  world,  and  a  desire  entered 
his  heart  to  go  out  from  the  quiet  place  and  enter  the  turbu- 
lent city.  One  day  he  broke  the  news  to  his  father,  who  was 
very  grievetl,  knowing  the  evils  and  horrors  of  the  world. 
But  the  son  was  resolute  and  so  the  father  bade  him  wait^  so 
that  he  could  give  him  something  that  might  be  of  protection 
to  him  in  time  of  trouble  and  want.  As  he  said  goodby,  the 
father  gave  him  a  rare  ilower,  saying  thus:  "Son,  if  thou  will 
be  thirsty  and  cannot  obtain  water  on  your  way,  smell  this 
flower;  if  you  are  hung^ry  and  cannot  obtain  food,  smell  this 
flower;  if  you  are  tired  and  cannot  get  rest,  smell  this  flower." 
They  then  parted. 

On  the  son  went  in  many  strange  lands  and  over  many 
strange  places.  But  in  going  from  one  place  into  another  he 
met  with  a  great  desert.  His  throat  became  dry,  his  tongue 
stifl";  he  gi-ew  weary  and  ill.  Water,  water  did  he  want.  Then 
he  thought  of  the  flower  Iiis  father  gave  to  him  and  he  placed 
his  hand  in  his  bosom  to  smell  it;  but  then  from  a  little  dis- 
tance, behold,  there  was  a  little  creek.  "Well,"  thought  he, 
"that  foolish  thing  to  smell  a  flower  when  I  am  thirsty,"  and 
he  ran  to  that  creek  and  quenched  his  thirst.  It  did  not  taste 
as  sweet  as  usual  in  his  own  land,  but  it  was  water,  thought 
he.  On  he  went,  and  became  hungry:  "Oh!"  thought  he, 
**Well  now  I  am  going  to  smell  the  flower,"  but  just  then  trav- 
elers passed  by  and  he  begged  them  for  some  food,  thinking 
that  it  is  foolish  to  smell  the  flower  when  he  can  get  the  real 
food.  It  is  true  it  was  not  so  pleasant  to  eat  that  strange 
bread,  but,  thought  he,  it  is  better  to  eat  real  bread  than 
smell  a  mere  flower. 

On  he  went,  and  grew  very,  very  sore  of  foot  and  weak  in 
body.  Oh,  for  a  place  of  rest!  The  sand  was  all  over,  the 
sun  was  hot.  "Well,"  thought  he,  "I  shall  now  smell  the 
flower,"  but  then,  lo  and  behold,  there  was  a  tree.  He  hastily 
ran  to  the  tree  and  lay  down  to  rest  under  it.     But  as  he  was 


42  Yom  Kippur  Day 


resting  his  head  achcnl,  his   eyes  grew  dimmer  and  dimmer. 
He  was  getting  seriously  sick.     Yes,  he  was  dying. 

Suddenly  his  father,  who  from  great  love  followed  his  son 
to  watch  him  without  letting  him  know,  rushed  to  him  at  his 
dying  side,  took  him  up  in  his  arms  and  made  him  smell  that 
flower,  "Yare  dying,"  said  his  father,  "BECAUSE  WOU  HAVK 
BEEN  DRINKING  FROM  STRANGE  WATERS  AND  HAVE 
EATEN  PROM  STRANGE  BREAD  AND  HAV  E  RESTED  UN- 
DER STRANGE  SHADOWS.  COME  BACK  HOME."  Back 
they  went,  and  the  son  was  never  anxious  to  wander  over  the 
world  again. 

Did  not  our  Father  in  heaven  give  us  the  correct  flower  so 
that  we  can  seek  aid  from  it  any  time?  Does  not  our  Torah 
offer  these  wonderful  healings?  But  we  in  our  wanderings 
have  drunken  from  strange  waters.  We  have  eaten  strange 
bread,  we  have  rested  under  strange  shadows,  all  the  time 
foi'getting  that  we  have  the  Torah  as  our  aid,  and  now  we  are 
dying.  Yes,  our  national  feeling,  our  inspiring  traditions  are 
dying,  rotting  away,  and  we  have  forgotten  the  great  medicine. 
"Oh,"  saith  God,  "I  have  not  forgotten  you.  I  am  here  at  your 
side.  I  have  watched  you  all  the  time  in  your  wanderings, 
and  now  that  you  need  me  I  am  here  to  help  you.  Take  mj' 
Torah;  study  it,  drink  of  it,  the  best  mankind  ever  conceived, 
the  truest  man  ever  spoke,  the  noblest  man  ever  beheld,  and 
you  shall  live  on  and  on." 

Come,  my  fi-iends,  let  us  wake  to  that  lesson  today. 
Let  our  hearts  beat  again  with  a  love  to  our  Torah  that  is  to 
give  us  strength  as  we  go  on  in  life.  Let  us  come  a  step  near- 
er unto  God.  Let  us  forgive  and  be  ready  to  forget,  as  God 
does  now.  Let  us  come  back  to  the  old  home,  whei-e  love, 
fidelity  and  blessing  was  perfect  and  true.  Oh,  come,  gather 
under  my  hand  and  let  me  bless  you  on  this  sacred  evening 
in  the  name  of  God  and  His  teachings. 

May  God,  who  looks  upon  us  from  our  going  in  to  our 
going  out,  may  He  see  that  our  sins  be  blotted  out  and  on  con- 
tributions be  acceptable  before  Him.  May  He  in  His  gi-eat 
mercy  forgive  the  sinnei-s  of  oiii-  present' conflict  and  bring  our 
sons  back  unto  our  homes.     Amen. 


Be  Not  Afraid  13 


BE  NOT  AFRAID 


*'Be  not  afield,  my  servant  Jacob,  be  not  afraid,  for  I 
win  gather  thee  from  the  West  and  bring  thee  from  the  EJast" 
— and  from  all  comers  of  the  world." 

This  queer  sentence,  because  of  its  tenderness  and  pathos, 
and  because  of  its  protective  mood  and  promising  significance, 
strikes  deeply  into  the  heart  of  the  modem  Jew  and  demands 
the  attention  of  the  thinking  Hebrew.  Through  the  mouth  of 
the  prophet  God  speaks  to  the  child  of  His  Bible.  Ye,  saith 
God,  although  you  have  sinned  and  I  have  fully  punished  you, 
chastise<l  and  scattered  you  all  over  the  globe,  yet,  be  not  dis- 
mayed, do  not  be  afraid  for  I  will  gather  thee  and  will  call 
thee  to  Me. 

Upon  my  heari.  there  group  and  pound  feelings  which  re- 
flect on  my  thoughts  and  cause  my  voice  to  be  heard.  My  tears 
are  rushing  forward  and  my  senses  cry  with  emotion. 

There  ai^e  so  many  things  which  spring  before  my  vision 
and  theie  are  so  many  aches  which  cause  my  cries  that,  now, 
as  I  open  the  begining  of  our  Torah  to  read,  to  learn,  to 
teach,  I  hesitate  to  dwell  into  its  depths. 

Hear  ye,  my  brethren,  out  of  the  old  ages  appeai-s  the 
shadow  of  the  wandering  Jew,  out  of  the  grey  misty  past  there 
looms  up  the  suffering  Hebrew.  Out  of  the  great  histories  of 
the  world's  greatest  achievements  there  comes  the  son  of 
Jacob.  Out  of  the  greatest  joys  given  to  the  world  there 
shines  forth  the  child  of  Abraham.  Out  of  the  lofty  ocean  of 
ideals  and  hopes  there  radiates  the  loved  ones  of  Isaac.  And 
oh,  in  all  their  appearances  I  always  see  the  end  tail  leaving  a 
question   mark. 

Here,  in  the  opening  of  our  Bible,  we  have  the  greatest 
gift  to  mankind.  Only  but  yesterday  the  Jews  celebrated  the 
Shimc!chath  Torah — the  feasting  and  happiness  of  the  Torah. 
And  tonight  we  ait»  i-eading  the  be;>'inning  of  the  Torali.  Think, 
that  Torjih  which  gave  to  the  world  the  greatest  hopes,  that 


14  Bo  Xol  Afraid 


Toi'ah  which  regulated  the  civilized  world  and  opened  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf,  that  Torah  which  pro- 
claims all  men  equal  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  knows  no  hatred, 
no  distinction  of  mankind,  and  yet,  we,  the  bearer  of  this 
gift,  we  the  messenger  of  these  hopes,  today  as  well  as  yes- 
terday, and  perhaps  tomorrow,  must  relate  a  story  to  the 
child  of  Israel,  that  is  full  of  woe  and  sorrow,  and  we  mu.st 
always   seek   the   reason   foa*   it. 

AVe  stand  tonight  face  to  face  with  facts  which,  however 
indiflferent  one  of  the  house  of  Israel  may  be,  however  apart 
/)f  the  household  of  Jacob  one  may  be,  however  estranged  and 
unknown  to  the  home  of  Isaac  one  may  be,  yet  tonight  evoi-y- 
thlng  concerning  that  one's  welfare,  everything  concerning 
that  one's  principles,  must  necessarily  arrest  his  thought  and 
bid  him  sit  down,  and  listen!  lest,  it  may  bi-ing  him  shame  and 
sorrow. 

I  heur  a  voice.  It  seems  faint  and  old,  yet  I  hear  it  dis- 
tinctly. "The  Jew,  the  stumbling  block  of  the  world,  how  I 
should  love  to  see  him  exterminated,"  to  which  an  answer 
shouts,  "let's  do  it."  Then  on  the  waters  of  Babel  I  hear 
the  lamenting  songs  of  Isiael  and  the  wailing  voices  of  the 
mothers  of  Israel.  But  no  sooner  does  the  echo  of  these 
sounds  fade,  I  hear  the  stampe<ling  hoofs  of  the  crusaders,  itnd 
the  bitter  cry  of  the  Jewish  sufferers,  and  as  the  ci-j'  is  still 
lingering  in  the  air,  oh,  I  see  the  Inquisition  and  hear  the  ter- 
rible cries  of  those  dying  on  the  rack  or  burned  to  death. 

But  now  I  hear  a  strong  voice,  nay  it  is  not  faint,  nay  it 
is  not  strange,  nay  it  is  not  old,  I  hear  it  and  I  know  you  hear 
it  too.  The  world  today  with  bi'oken  codes  and  shattefred 
hopes,  the  woi*ld  today  with  loose  governments,  dipped  in  a 
river  of  blood  of  Innocent  victims,  has  suddenly  drooped  and 
sunken  back  into  the  darkness  of  the  cave  ages  and  maddened 
with  blood  thirst  passitms,  found  the  Jew  its  flr«t  and  best 
target.  From  all  over  the  globe  come  to  us  i-eports  of  the 
awful  slaughter  and  111  treatment  of  the  unfortunate  brethren, 
and  with  great  feai-  and  deep  f^orrow  I  hear  sometimes,  here 
and  theie  a  voice,  daring  to  accuse  the  Jew  of  America. 

WE  WHO  LOVE  EVERY  IXt  H  OF  THIS  GREAT  COUN- 


Be  Not  Afraid 


TRY,  WE  WHO  SHARE  WITH  THIS  COUNTRY  ITS  RE- 
VERSES AND  JOYS,  WE  WHOSE  SONS  GLADLY  DIED  FOR 
THE  GLORY  OP  AMERICA,  WE  WHO  AT  THE  VERY  FIRST 
CALL  ARE  NOW  AND  EVER  READY  TO  DIE  FOR  THE  BE- 
liOVED  (X)rNTRY  OP  OUR  ADOPTION,  yet  there  are  some 
fools  and  Jewbaiters  who  dare  because  THEY  are  not  acting  in 
the  glorious  way  and  principles  of  America,  that  they  want  to 
pi'otect  .Vnierica  from  us! 

Oh,  when  the  songs  of  the  birds  are  chirping,  it  seems 
to  me  they  sing  no  other  thing  but  of  the  glories  of  Amer- 
ica. Oh,  it  seems  to  me  when  I  hear  the  whispering  winds 
over  the  mountains  and  the  valleys  I  hear  no  greater  secret 
than  that  of  love  for  America.  And  when  my  heart  and  my 
soul  are  leaping  with  joy  it  is  only  of  our  great  countrj-, 
America.     Ye,  it  is  not  only  I  but  every  one  of  you,  I  know  it. 

But  the  thunders  are  growing,  the  lightnings  are  flashing, 
the  rain  of  slander  is  beating  down  heavier  and  with  it  our 
hearts  grow  perturbed  and  we  lift  our  hands  to  God  in  heaven 
asking  Him  for  His  mercy. 

What  is  the  answer?  Oh,  hear,  my  brothers;  hear,  my 
friends.  "BE  NOT  AFAID,"  no,  no,  "be  not  afraid,  I  will  bring 
thee  to  Me  fiom  the  East  and  the  scatteied  from  the  West." 
N(),  I  will  not  keep  thee  only  in  Zion,  no  I  will  not  let  thee 
only  in  the  countries  of  the  West,  but  I  will  gather  thee  to  me. 

What  does  it  mean?  Thus,  there  will  come  a  time  when  all 
the  world  shall  perceive  and  know  that  there  is  only  but  one 
God,  one  humanity,  one  love,  one  race,  one  creed,  to  mankind, 
and  then  thou,  oh  Israel,  my  child  shall  be  loved  and  shall  l>e 
respected,  for  the  world  will  come  to  thee  to  seek  the  model 
banner  and  the  threads  which  will  sew  the  golden  symbols  on 
the  flag  of  Humanity,  the  cloth  which  has  been  woven  by  thee 
from  age  to  age  and  colored  and  then  recolore<l,  ay!  with 
thy  blood. 

Therefore,  I  say  unto  thee,  my  friends,  come  let  us  open 
our  Torah  with  a  joyful  heart  for  after  all  God  smiles  to  us 
and  His  promises  never  fail.  Be  ye  then  of  good  cheer  and  let 
us  attempt  to  study  the  word  of  God,  so  that  we  can  fully 
realize  its  signiflcance  and  understand  its  joys.     Amen. 


16  Castles  In  the  Air 


CASTLES  IN  THE  AIR 


And  they  said,  "Let  Us  Make  Ourselves  a  Name." 

The  skies  have  cleared  away,  the  water  has  receded,  the 

tops   of   the   mountains   seemed   to   have   climbed   out   of   the 

.water  like  great  giants.     The  sun  once  more  paced  across  the 

great  expansion  of  the  heavens,  while  the  birds  merrily  flew 

from  top  to  top,  chirping  their  aerial  melodies. 

God  has  made  peace  with  Mankind  and  ented-ed  into  a 
covenant  that  He  shall  never  again  destroy  the  living  beings 
from  the  face  of  the  earth,  giving  His  signs  in  the  rainbow  on 
the  clouds.  And  so  the  people  multiplied  and  livetl  happily 
after  the  deluge. 

But  in  the  course  of  events,  then  like  now  and  now  like 
then,  the  mind  of  the  human  being  searched  restlessly  and  the 
heart  of  the  living  longed  for  the  unknown.  .So  as  they  grew 
and  became  strongen*  and  wiser,  they  began  to  seek  counsel  as 
to  their  stability  and  protection.  And  so  remembering  the 
great  and  terrible  catastrophe  their  ftr-st  and  most  anxious  de- 
sire was  to  avert  another  one  like  it.  "Hovoh,"  said  they,  "let 
us  get  together  and  see  if  we  can  not  build  a  tower  which  top 
shall  reach  into  the  heaven,  lest  another  flood  conies,  and 
then  *'let  us  make  oui-selves  a  name." 

What  a  beautiful  mirror  to  reflect  our  lives  in  and  what 
a  severe  lesson  to  learn! 

How  often  do  we  hold  council  with  ourselves  for  the  ulti- 
mate desii-e  of  every  living  being — protection.  How  often  do 
we  labor  and  toil  for — safety.  How  often  do  we  waste  our 
lives  in  attempts  to  avert  the  suft'ering  of  a  downfall.  Yes, 
how  often  do  we  strive  to  i-each  the  top,  to  over-do  everybody, 
to  outshine  everyone,  to  be  called  the  elite,  to  peep  into  the 
heavens.  Yes,  we  want  to  make  a  tower  and  gain  a  name 
for  ourselves,  and  in  all  these  .-it tempts  we-  forget  to  consider 
God. 


Castles  In  the  Air 


Ye,  we  build  castles,  we  build  towers,  we  want  to  become 
famous,  and  we  want  to  fight  off  God's  decrees. 

Hear  ye,  my  brethren.  There  are  families  who  build 
castles  in  the  air.  They  want  to  establish  themselves  at  the 
top.  "Oh,"  saith  the  mother,  "my  son,  he  shall  be  the  leading 
man  of  the  community;  "oh,"  saith  the  mother,  "my  daughter 
shall  unite  with  the  most  splendid  in  the  city."  "Oh,"  saith 
the  father  bent  upon  the  books,  while  his  mind  is  perturl>ed 
and  perspiration  of  weakness  drip  down  on  the  wide  books, 
over-worked  and  feeling  the  yoke  getting  heavier  and  heavier, 
yet,  "oh,"  saith  he,  "I  shall  establish  myself  a  castle,  I  shall 
win  myself  a  name."  They  build  and  labor,  they  hope  and 
toil,  they  strive  and  struggle.  But  through  all  of  these  days 
they  forget  one  thing,  the  consideration  of  God's  will. 

And  then,  like  the  story  of  our  Bible,  when  the  least  re- 
sistance comes,  or  when  illness  arrives,  when  God  had  per- 
ceived that  in  their  gain,  their  hearts  grew  proud,  their  minds 
stiff,  for  they  have  grown  selfish  and  boasted  all  their  gain  as 
due  to  their  own  sti'Uggle  and  lalH)r,  He  turns  the  wheel.  Oh, 
it  is  then  when  they,  like  the  story,  go  to  pieces,  become  sep- 
arated. The  children  know  not  their  parent  and  the  parent 
can  not  know  their  cliildren.  For  as  their  castles  crumble, 
the  tower  breaking  down,  they  find  the  childien  speaking  a 
different  language,  the  language  of  the  spoiled,  while  they 
speak  the  language  of  the  suffering  struggler. 

But  oh,  I  have  seen  people  who  build  towers  in  their 
minds.  They  want  to  reach  into  heaven  and  peep  into  the 
workings  of  God.  People  who,  thinking  themselves  capable 
thinkers,  have  attempted  to  find  the  ways  of  Go<l.  Think,  my 
friends,  to  find  the  way  of  God.  Answer  ye,  how  do  the  stars 
twinkle,  how  do  the  winds  gather,  where  does  the  sun  come 
from,  whither  does  she  go?  Why  does  the  dog  bark  and  the 
horse  neigh?  Why  does  the  bird  chirp  and  the  hen  crow? 
WTiy  are  some  rich  and  others  poor?  Why  do  some  die  and 
some  live  too  long?  Where  is  God's  dwelling  and  who  are  His 
angels?  These  people  who  build  their  towers  to  reach  into  the 
heavens  so  that  they  may  look  into  the  workings  of  Gml  have 


18  Castles  In  the  Air 

so  far  been  confused.  No  one  as  yet  has  properly  established 
one  real  practical  theory.     It  is  all  confusion,  in  the  end. 

Today  we  have  the  same  attempts  of  reaching  into  the 
heavens.  Vain  desires  to  get  a  name.  Capital  built  its  castles 
and  strove  for  a  name,  and  today  it  is  all  confusion.  Labor 
endeavors  now  to  get  a  name  and  build  castles  in  the  air  and 
it  is  all  confusion.  The  world  at  large  was  building  castles 
in  the  air  and  it  is  all  confusion.  Why?  Because  capital 
forgot  the  ways  of  God,  consideration,  love  and  service.  Labor 
is  neglecting  the  ways  of  God,  Duty  and  Kindness.  The  world 
has  attempted  to  avert  catastrophes  in  establishing  and  stag- 
ing the  fiercest  battle  the  woi-ld  ever  saw,  not  taking  God's 
plans  into  consideration,  and  now  it  is  all  confusion. 

Therefore  I  come  to  you  tonight  pressing  tlie  lesson  upon 
your  hearts  and  printing  it  on  your  mind  that,  while  one  must 
plan,  while  one  must  work,  while  one  miist  have  ambition, 
while  one  must  think,  yet  in  all  of  the  above  let  us  always  take 
God  into  consideration.  Let  us  always  remember  that  boast- 
ing one's  gain  is  a  miserable  sin  against  God  and  mankind. 
liCt  us  rememl)er  that  to  dwell  too  much  into  the  depths  of 
God's  ways  will  only  confuse  us.  We  must  accept  a  good  deal 
for  we  know  not  better,  l^et  us  above  all  not  build  too  great 
castles  in  the  air.  Let  us  develop  the  sense  of  satisfaction,  for 
in  the  desire  of  reaching  out  too  high  we  very  often  invite 
great  miseiy,  because  then  one  can  never  be  happy  or  satis- 
fled,  for  there  is  always  some  one  higher,  better,  richer, 
happier.  Our  happiness,  our  consolation,  our  satisfaction,  we 
And  with  ourselves,  therefore  Avhile  it  is  Avell  to  make  one's 
name,  yet  it  is  well  to  make  same  without  forgetting  the  ever- 
lasting fatherly  eye  of  God.  Hold  this  mirror  against  you, 
look  into  it  once  in  a  while  as  you  go  out  into  the  streets  of 
Mankind.     Amen. 


Come  Thee,  An  Echo  of  Go  Thee  19 


COME  THEE.  AN  ECHO  OF  GO  THEE 


And  God  said  unto  Abraham,  "Go  thee,  from  thy  land, 
from  thy  birth  place,  and  from  thy  father's  house,  into  the 
land  which  I  will  show  thee." 

There  are  certain  things  which  remain  in  the  circle  of 
human  events  and  follow  humanity  throughout  ages.  For  in- 
stance,  the  desire  to  understand  and  grasp  the  power  of  the 
unknown.  Mankind  always  saught  to  woi'ship  a  power.  £ach 
according  to  its  mode  of  living  and  in  a  measure  with  its 
intellect. 

Thus,  let  us  take  for  example.  Love,  that  tender 
and  sacred  feeling,  which  in  its  ripe  and  holy  state,  spurs  one 
to  the  noblest  and  bravest  deeds  in  life.  This  Love  has  whirled 
along  with  ages.  But  with  Israel,  aside  from  all  these  things 
something  of  a  dilferent  nature,  not  in  thought,  not  in  feel- 
ing, not  in  abstract  form,  but  in  reality,  and  in  its  vei-j'  life 
has  clung  to  its  existence  throughout  ages. 

Oui'  history  as  a  Jewish  nation  commences  with  Abraham. 
Our  pride  of  a  conception  of  God  begins  with  Abraham.  We 
are  the  childi-en  of  Abraham.  And  that  cry  which  rang  out  in 
the  land  of  Mesopotamia,  that  cry  which  Abraham  gladly 
heeded  to,  has  swept  along  with  the  ages  and  it  still  here. 

What  is  is?  Hark,  the  ever  resounding  cry,  the  painful 
message,  the  martyr's  crown  of  glory,  Israel  Inheritance  of 
Abraham,  "GO  THEE."  And  that  voice,  that  finger,  which 
spoke  and  pointed  to  father  Abraham,  has  ever  been  the  cry 
of  ages,  to  Israel  "Go  Thee." 

Brethren,  the  words  "Go  thee'  bring  a  deep  sigh  out  of 
the  breasts  of  millions  of  Jews.  The  word  "Go  thee"  is  writ- 
ten with  the  blood  of  Israel  on  its  thick  volumnous  books  of 
history. 

.  God  said  to  Abraham,  "Go  thee  out  of  thy  birth  place,  out 
of  thy   home,"    and   Abraham   wanders   away.      Only   but   one 


20  Gome  Thee,  An  Echo  of  Go  Thee 

generation  later,  and  Abimelech  speaks  to  Isaac,  "Laich 
Maieemonoo,"  "Go  tliee  from  among  us."  One  generation 
later  and  Rebecca  speaks  to  her  own  son  Jacob,  "Go  thee,  nay 
run  away,  thy  life  is  in  danger."  A  few  generations  later  the 
Egyptians  say  "Go  thee."  OH,  GO  THEE,  ISRAEL.  Evei^ 
huid,  every  nation,  every  age,  every  generation  remembers  that 
"Go  thee." 

Upon  the  portals  of  ages,  upon  the  sands  of  the  desei-ts, 
upon  the  high  seas,  upon  the  frozen  snow  covered  fields,  thei-c 
are  posts  and  signs,  "Go  Thee." .  Go  thee,  Israel .  .  .  Here  you 
are  too  mighty.  Hei«  you  are  too  learned.  Here  you  are  too 
mercenary.  Here  you  ai-e  too  obnoxious.  Constantly  ever- 
lastingly,  eternally,   there  is  that  "Go  thee." 

Thy  feet  are  sore,  but  "go  thee,"  thy  hands  ar*'!  swollen 
but  "Go  thee,"  thou  art  faint  but  "Co  thee."  You  are  a  loyal 
citizen  but  "Go  thee." .  You  create  Industries  but  "Go  thee." 
You  are  lendei'lng  your  life  for  your  adoptecl  country,  but 
"Go  thee." 

It  cries  from  one  comer  of  the  globe  into  another.  It  swims 
across  the  sky  and  it  floats  with  the  passing  clouds.  It  rises 
with  the  sun  and  looms  up  with  the  moon.  Everlastingly, 
that  "Go  thee." 

Oh,  Israel,  like  a  forlorn  and  frightened  child, 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  Universe  floor,  bewildered.  He 
makes  step  after  step  fearingly.  He  steps  and  falls,  he  falls 
and  steps,  for  there  is  that  cry,  "Go  thee."  "Go  thee  "  *'Go 
thee,  my  child,"  saith  God;  "Go  thee,  learn  to  walk,  to  run, 
never  mind  the  difficulties,  for  yonder  awaits  you  open  arms 
of  the  loving  Father,  ready  to  receive  you,  as  you  walk  across. 
Go,  go  go!" 

Oh,  but  it  is  that  very  cry,  it  is  that  very  step  which 
brings  to  us  the  reward  and  great  consolation.  Have  you  ever 
watched,  you  fathers  and  mothers  the  learning  of  a  baby's 
walk.  "Go,  go,"  speaks  encouragingly  the  mother,  leaving 
the  little  tot  to  walk  across  the  floor  tremblingly  into  his 
father's  arais.  "Oh,"  thinks  tltat  little  one.  "What  a  dis- 
tance, how  merciless  my  mother  is."     Go  thee,  go  thee,  and  it 


Gome  Thee.  An  Echo  of  Go  Thee  21 

is  so  far  and  so  difficult.  But  on  the  other  side  the  arms  of  the 
loving  father  are  stretched  out  to  embrace  and  receive  the 
child. 

Ye,  it  is  so  with  us.  We,  the  children  of  God,  the  cliild 
of  the  world;  yes,  the  plaything  of  the  ignorant  and  the  in- 
tellectual. While  it  seems  so  long,  so  hard,  so  ruthless  to 
leave  us  alone,  and  the  cry  Is  so  bitter  and  so  loud,  "Go  thee. 
Go  thee,"  yet  I  say  unto  thee.  Go,  Go,  for  the  Father  on  the 
other  side  is  holding  out  His  arms  to  receive  thee  in  His  great 
Fatherly  love. 

Ye,  we  too  must,  like  our  father  Abraham  be  the  beai«rs 
of  the  Truth  and  Oneness  of  God.  We  must  say  to  one  an- 
other,  "Go  thee."  Carry  on  your  mission,  for  thus  saith  God. 
**Go  thee  from  thy  land,  from  thy  home,  until  I  show  thee  thy 
place,  thy  land.  And  then  you  shall  rest  lovingly  in  the 
mercies  of  God's  arms." 

And  from  the  hill  tops  of  Zion,  in  the  courts  of  the  Tem- 
ple, in  the  forest  of  Lebanon,  vibrates  the  singing  melodies  of 
Israel,  the  priests  and  the  shepherd.  Ye,  AN  ECHO  OF  "GO 
THFE."  WHICH  SOUNDS  "COIVIE  THEE,"  "COME  THEE." 
For  every  gras  and  blade,  every  ray  and  spark  of  the  earth 
and  sun  shall  smile  to  thee,  saying,  "Come  thee.  Come  thee; 
this  is  the  place  God  has  chosen  for  thee."  Ye,  whereer  the 
sun  shines  and  wherever  the  grass  grows,  thou  shalt  be  wel« 
come.    Amen. 


22  Forward,  Do  Not  Turn  Back 


FORWARD.  DO  NOT  TURN  BACK 


And  the  angels  said  unto  the  family  of  Lot,  "Do  not  turn 
back.  In  thy  escape  from  evil  and  unrighteousness  you  must 
go  ahead,  ever  forward;   do  not  turn  back." 

Under  the  horizon  of  the  skj'  there  are  millions  of  stars. 
Each  star  has  its  past,  Each  star  tells  a  different  tale.  Each 
star  ti-avels  its  own  destiny.  Each  star  is  a  guiding  post  to 
the  voyagers  on  sea  and  to  the  wanderers  on  land.  Each 
star  sparkled  with  radiancy  of  joy  and  each  star  faded  under 
ih^  heavy  thick  clouds.  But  all  these  stars  are  making  their 
headway  into  the  great  and  deep  depth  of  the  futui-e.  Often 
when  a  star  hastily,  in  running  its  course  turns  backward  to 
glance  over  the  vast  space  left  behind,  it  misses  its  route  and 
then  it  plunges  millions  of  miles  earthward.  FORWARD,  ON- 
WARD, FUTUREW  ARD,  that  is  the  LAW  OF  THE  UN  I\  ERSE. 

On!  eternal  race  of  the  stars  and  moons,  the  sun  and  the 
planets.  On!  eternal  race  of  time  and  space.  On!  eternal  race 
of  life  and  death.  On!  eternal  race  of  youth  and  age.  On!  eter- 
nal race  of  spirit  and  body.  No  one  of  these  dare  to  halt,  all 
must  speed  headway.  Turning  back  spells  ruin  and  complete 
loss.  Thus  is  the  course  of  things  everlastingly,  and  thus  is 
the  lesson  individually.  Yes,  even  more  so  nationally,  nay 
exceedingly  more  important  religiously. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  earthly  globe  the  people  who 
master  this  soil,  are  much  like  the  stai's  above.  Each  man, 
each  woman,  like  a  star  is  placed  into  this  woHd.  Each  one  of 
them  glides  on  and  on,  towai-d  the  inevitable  course.  Each 
one  of  them  has,  like  the  stars  above,  been  placed  as  a  guid- 
ing post  to  the  futui-e  geneiati<m.  Each  one  of  them  has  some 
time  trembled  like  the  stars  above  with  radiancy  of  joy  and 
happiness.  Each  one  of  them  must  like  the  stars  above  roll 
on  and  on,  pacing  the  globe.  Never  for  a  moment  can  one  of 
them  stop  to  look  back,  for  the  universe  has  its  set  course. 


Forward,  Do  Not  Tumi  Back  23 

like  tlie  stars  above,  when  daring  to  look  on  the  space  left  be-, 
hind,  are  doomed  to  fall  away  from  the  r^ular  route.  For 
other  stars  come  on  and  other  people  take  their  place. 

Thus  we  read,  that  when  the  angels  of  God  came  to  the 
rescue  of  liot  and  his  family,  the  only  law  revealed  to  them  of 
God's  plan  was,  "DO  NOT  TURN  BACK." 

Angels!  What  are  they?  Ye,  the  messengers  of  God. 
Our  own  clean  conscience,  our  own  pure  deeds,  our  own  clean 
ima^nation,  and  the  accepted  symbol  of  the  world  we  lie  in, 
the  little  child.  Oh,  the  little  child  with  wings  on  its  back. 
The  child,  the  future  generation,  the  coming  thing  i»to  our 
lives,  into  our  actions,  into  our  great  happiness.  ( 

Mark  ye,  then,  Sodom  was  despised  by  God,  doomed  16 
destruction.  "Why?  And  what  were  its  main  sins?  The 
Bible  points  out  to  us.  ' 

Selfishness,  Inhospitality,  Greed.  So  God  sent  down  his 
angels,  what  does  it  mean?  The  child  of  the  future  came  into 
action.  Behold,  he  has  come  to  save  the  forlorn  Sodomites. 
What  does  the  child  say?  1  will  destroy  thee,  I  will  do  away 
with  your  old  habits  and  your  old  customs,  ye,  I  will  utterly 
wipe  out  your  past  lives,  that  is  the  way  you  were  living,  and 
will  ivscue  those  who  are  willing  to  go  onward,  to  leave  be- 
hind the  things  which  caused  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and 
Gemorah. 

Look  ye.  Selfishness  has  now  opened  its  own  ugly  mouth 
and  is  devouring  the  people  who  fed  it.  Selfishness,  that  evil 
habit  which  besets  one's  heart  and  In  due  time  like  a 
leech  draws  the  very  vitality  of  its  existence  leaving  it  an 
empty  shell  burning  under  its  own  beastly  desires,  and  in- 
evitably brings  one  to  lie  hated,  despised  and  forgotten. 
Come,  leave  these  things  behind,  go  on  forward,  never  turn 
back,  to  those  things,  else  you  shall  be  turne<l  into  a  pillar  of 
salt,  thus  saith  the  child  of  the  future. 

While  I  am  as  human  as  you  are,  wliile  I  am  no  angel, 
yet  I  come  to  you,  in  the  sen$e  of  a  messenger,  thus  saying  to 
you.  Brethren,  those  of  you  who  are  dwelling  in  the  cities 
of  Sodom  and  Amorah,  piacticing  their  modes  of  living — Look 


24  Forward,  Do  Not  Turn  Back 

ye,  not  in  ages  forgotten,  not  in  the  beginning  of  mankind,  not 
in  the  biblical  writings,  but  in  our  own  present,  in  ouiv  own 
daily  life  these  things  are  taking  place.  The  present  world  of 
Sodom  and  Amorah  is  bending  under  its  own  sins;  the 
world  of  Sodom  and  Amorah  is  burning  under  its  own  lire. 
SELFISHNESS  HAS  STARTED  IT;  INHOSPITAWTY  HAS 
HELPED  THE  CONFLAGRATION,  and  GREED  HAS  EATEN 
THEM  UP. 

Israel,  I  grasp  your  hand  and  say  unto  thee:  Come  out 
of  it.  Do  not  turn  back  to  those  things.  Come,  saith  God, 
unto  thee.  Another  life,  another  love,  another  glory,  another 
joy  is  awaiting  thee.  Do  not  turn  back.  We  rannot  afford  to 
remain  pillars  of  salt;  we  must  accept  the  call,  to  flee  out 
of  these  habits  and  in  doing  so  we  must  go  onward  and  for- 
ward. Never  mind  the  past;  we  all  have  a  past.  Never  mind 
the  has  been,  we  all  of  us  the  world  at  large  only  but  yes- 
terday became  a  has  been.  Run  away  from  these  things.  Let 
your  eye  rest  on  the  future.  The  child,  the  angel  Is  calling 
out  unto  thee.  What  of  the  Futui-e? 

Come  let  us  as  we  flee  away  fi'om  the  past  meet  the  future 
with  our  eyes  fixed  on  the  goal,  like  the  stars  ever  gliding 
onward  to  meet  God.  Therefore,  may  I  not  then  ask  you,  to 
strengthen  yourselves  and  do  your  utmost  for  the  future  of 
the  Temple,  the  city,  the  country.  Never  mind  the  pant. 
What  of  the  future?  Hear  ye  not  the  angels,  DO  NOT  TURN 
BACK;  will  you  heed  to  that  cr>'?     Amen. 


I  Seek  My  Brethren 


I  SEEK  MY  BRETHERN 


"Oth  Achiii  onochee  m,  vakesh." 

Whom  seekest  thou? 

Upon  the  strings  of  the  human  heart  many  chords  are 
being  intuned.  The  heart  as  a  soft  and  tender  instrument  in 
the  hand  of  fate,  readily  responds  to  the  ever  so  many  inter- 
ludes of  the  master  hand.  Sometimes  the  strings  of  the  heart 
are  so  sympathetically  moved  that  the  melodies  which  come 
out  of  it  are  full  with  emotion,  and  when  the  strings  of  the 
heart  are  in  progress,  there  is  no  need  for  an  artist  or  the 
developed  ear  to  understand  the  motif.  Who  has  not  been 
touched  by  the  cry  of  a  child  when  it  is  hungry  and  cold. 
Who  has  stood  unmoved  when  the  body  of  the  one  we  love 
most  is  slowly  descending  into  the  grave?  Who  did  not  feel 
a  quiver  at  the  very  fibres  of  one's  existence  when  your  friend 
instructs  you  the  last  message?  Who  was  not  responsive 
when  your  child  whom  you  held  in  your  arms  burnt  with  fever 
and  called  to  you  in  tones  of  pain,  "Daddy,  daddy!"?  Oh, 
those  melodies  played  upon,  by  nature,  on  the  strings  of  the 
human  heart,  are  sad,  mysterious,  pleading  and  inspiring. 

The  heai't  Ls  the  instrument  upon  which  the  thoughts  and 
the  feelings  of  the  man  are  being  touched  by  the  master  artist 
in  this  case  the  experiences  of  life. 

Yet,  like  the  violin,  so  the  heart.  While  it  is  necessary 
to  vary  the  key  of  the  instrument  in  order  to  produce  certiiin 
melodies,  still  the  perfect  violin  has  the  strings  so  arranged 
that  when  the  bow  glides  over  its  surface  there  will  always 
be  the  basic  harmonious  chord.  So  is  it  with  the  human 
heart.  While  our  hearts  are  moved  intensely,  passionately, 
eagerly,  lovingly,  worshipingly,  oiidy  when  in  touch  with 
love,  with  passion,  with  curiosity,  with  religion,  yet  the 
basis  of  all  humanity,  the  everlasting  chord  wliich  is  found 
in  the  oi-dinary  man  and  woman  is  the  feeling,  the  desire,  the 


26  I  Seek  My  Brethren 

wish   to  cultivate  a   friend,   ye,   a  friend  whom   one   can  call 
"BROTHER!" 

The  word  BROTHER  seems  to  interpret  a  word  of  feel- 
ings. When  one  enters  a  secret  organization,  the  first  token 
of  friendship  he  receives  it,  that  he  shall  be  called  "brother." 

"How  good  and  how  sweet  it  is  for  brethi'ea  to  dwell  to- 
gether," saith  our  great  singer.  We  are  styled  as  children 
of  one  God,  so  that  we  can  call  ourselves  the  brothers  of  one 
family.  Ever  since  ages  past  there  always  seemed  to  be  a 
■desire  that  one  can  call  another  brother.  Brother,  that  wowl 
which  holds  the  heart  of  humanity  captivated. 

Thus  we  come  in  touch  with  the  very  basis  of  the  story 
read  in  this  week's  portion.  Alone,  with  a  longing  heart  for 
his  goo<l  wife  Rachel,  old  and  unable  to  tend  to  his  sheep, 
he  fondled  and  caressed  the  child  of  the  woman  he  so  loved 
and  because  of  his  youthfulness,  kept  him  by  his  side.  But 
Jacob  the  Patiiarch,  was  afraid  that  little  Joseph  will  forget 
his  brethren,  nay  that  we  will  not  fully  understand  the  value 
of  a  brother,  so  he  speaks  unto  him,  to  go  down  to  the  fields 
and  visit   liis   brethren. 

And  we  are  told  Joseph  wandered  aimlessly,  lost  in  the 
distance  of  the  fields.  Why  was  he  lost  and  what  does  it  re- 
late as  a  lesson?     Oh,  hear  ye,  Israel! 

Jos^h,  a  spoiled  child,  estrange<l  from  his  brothel's,  stood 
alone  in  the  wide  fields.  Ye,  like  many  of  those  who  think 
that  all  we  need  in  this  world  is  to  take  care  of  one's  self  and 
the  rest,  well,  let  them  worry. 

There  are  Josephs  who  rush  madly  after  Avorldly  gain 
and  in  their  race  for  wealth  stop  at  nothing.  The  widows  cry, 
the  orphan's  tear»  the  hungiy  babies,  the  sick,  the  weary,  the 
forlorn,  the  unfortunate,  all  these  are  nothing  to  them.  All 
they  see  is  get  and  get  and  get,  more  and  more  and  then  more. 
There  are  Josephs  who  while  devoteil  and  loving  to  their  Own 
immediate  family  are  hard  and  unsympathetic  to  everjone 
else.  All  they  want  is  more  and  more  for  themselves.  More 
luxuHes,  more  comforts,  more  machines;  ye,  they  forget  the 
other  fellow   has  a  family   too,   and   loves  them  just   as  well. 


I  Seek  My  Brethren 


Alone,  alone  to  themselves  they  live,  forgetting,  estranging 
themselves  from  the  other  brothers.  There  are  Josephs  in  the 
Jewish  world  today  who  stand  alone.  They  wish  not  to  be 
known  to  their  own  brethren.  They  care  not  to  know  their 
own  brethren.  And  while  my  heart  tears  asunder  and  from 
my  soul  a  cry  of  anguish  cries  out,  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  some 
arc  ashamed  ttf  have  those  brethren.  Thus,  parceled  up  and 
broken  in  pieces,  the  son  of  Israel  stands  in  the  midst  of  this 
wide  world,  estranged,  forlorn,  with  his  eye  searching  east 
and  his  feet  planted  in  the  west,  with  his  soul  rising  in  the 
skies,  and  physic  degenerated,  because  his  heart  has  lost  the 
BASIC  CHORD  OF  BROTHERHOOD,  he  stands  alone.  From 
all  sides,  voices  are  heai"d  of  singing.  From  everj'where  waves 
of  joy  are  being  wafted,  all  is  merry,  but  the  son  of  Lsrael 
stands  there  lost.  Whither  shall  he  turn?  whither  shall  he  go? 
where  shall  he  set  his  goal;  where  shall  he  find  what  he  seeks? 

And  a  man  found  him  and  asked  him,  "what  seekest 
thee?"  Joseph  was  startled.  "I?  You  ask  me  what  I  seek? 
I  seek  not  love.  I  seek  not  hatred.  I  seek  not  quarrel  or  mis- 
understanding. I  se<>k  not  wealth  or  power.  I  seek  not  pos- 
session or  gain.  Oh!  but  I  SEEK  THE  CHORD  OF  MY  HEART. 
I  seek  my  brethren.  ETH  ACHI  AM  MVAKESH.  'My  brothers 
do  I  seek.'  The  children  of  my  father.  My  brethren  do  1  seek 
Avho  feel  ray  pain  and  my  woe.  My  brethren  do  I  seek  who 
understand  my  sigh  and  my  cry.  My  brethren  do  I  seek  who 
will  embrace  and  love  me  in  spite  of  my  faults.  My  brethren 
do  I  seek,  who  will  come  to  me  and  say,  'Together  we  suffer, 
together  we  are  misunderstood;  therefore  let  us  in  love  help 
one  another." 

Oh,  my  brothers,  do  I  seek  who  know  no  differ- 
ence of  Reform  and  Orthodoxy,  but  who  feel  the  throbbing 
heart  of  his  brother.  Brother,  brother,  where  art  thou?  I 
have  a  regard  to  you  from  our  Father.  Our  Fathers  in  their 
graves  speak  unto  us.  Each  one  to  his  own.  Go  seek  thy 
bethren.  Nay,  wait  not  until  he  come  to  you.  Go  find  him, 
wheiever  he  may  be.  Tell  him  my  pains  are  your  pains,  thy 
sorroyy^  ar-e  my  sorrows.     Thy  hunger  is  my  hunger,  thy  tear 


28  '      I  Seek  My  Brethren 

is  my  tear.     Tell  him  Father  has  sent  me  to  you. 

Oh,  those  tears  of  the  son  of  Israel,  those  words  of  the 
child  of  Jacob,  those  tears  of  the  symbolic  Joseph,  are  here 
in  profound  vision  and  language. 

Thus  I  plead  to  you,  children  of  Israel.  In  these  times 
of  great  misunderstanding,  let  us  go  to  seek  our  brethren.  Let 
us  say  one  to  another,  Brother,  thou  art  grieved,  I  grieve  with 
thee,  but  the  Lord  loves  and  He  will  not  forsake  us.  Let  us 
And  our  hearts  and  listen  to  the  melodies  played  upon  it  by 
the  Jewish  masterhand.  JEWISH  FEELINGS,  and  JEWISH 
ASPIRATIONS  WHICH  IS  NOTHING  MORE  THAN  THE 
HOPE  AND  DREAM  OP  AGES  THAT  THE  W  HOLE  WORLD 
SHALL  REALLY  AND  TRULY  CALL  ONE  ANOTHER 
BROTHER.  Brother  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  so  that  preju- 
dice, hatred,  class  Aght,  race  distinction,  will  forever  vanish 
Into  the  archives  of  the  ages  which  shall  be  looked  back  to  as 
the  ages  of  the  modem  barbarian.  Because  the  sun  shall  pour 
its  sweet  rays  to  all,  and  the  moon  shall  smile  to  all.  Under 
the  wide  skies  the  whole  human  race  shall  be  gathered  sing- 
ing praise  to  God  for  his  FATHERHOOD  and  our  BROTHER- 
HOOD.    Amen. 


Get  Together  i^i) 


GET  TOGETHER 

(Friday  After  Christmas) 


And  Jacob  called  unto  his  sons  and  said,  "Gather  your- 
selves together  that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  shall  befall  you 
in  the  end  of  the  days." 

Happy  days  and  pleasant,  sweet  hours  have  been  enjoyed 
by  a  large  proportion  of  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  The  clam- 
orous  sounds  of  the  bells  are  still  vibrating  somewhere  in  the 
distance.  The  world  sang  wonderful  songs  and  offered  pro- 
found  worship  to  its  Lord.  Everj-where,  on  the  top  of  a  hiU 
in  a  very  humble  mountain  log  cabin  and  in  the  most  luxurious 
homes  or  great  public  places,  smiles  and  blessings  were  in 
plenty.  The  heart  of  the  world  has  grown  warm  for  that  time 
and  the  soul  of  humanity  has  brightened  up.  The  great  world 
family  gathered  around  the  fireside.  Fathers,  mothers,  sis- 
ters and  brothers  danced  a  meiTy  dance  within  their  own 
homes. 

While  these  songs  and  prayers,  smiles  and  merriment 
were  being  showered,  someone,  they  call  him  the  STEP  CHIIiD 
of  the  world,  stood  outside  looking  into  the  windows  of  the 
world.  Burning  with  a  passion  to  smile,  yearning  with  a  Are 
in  his  heart  to  sing,  craving  with  love  to  worship,  he,  the 
step  child  Israel  stood  outside  the  window  peeping  in. 

Oh,  he  hears  his  father's  name  spoken  in  song  and  prayer. 
He  hears  his  people's  melodies  chanted.  He  hears  his  fam- 
ilies' noble  doctrine  preached,  ye,  he  recognizes  everything  of 
his  own,  yet  this  step  child  stands  outside.  Just  looking 
into  the  window,  while  in  his  heart  there  is  a  wound  of  great 
pain. 

Gather  yourselves  together,  so  that  I  may  t«lt  you, 
speaks  Jacob.  Ye,  with  your  hearts  rent  apart,  with  your 
aims  different,   with   your  goals   widely   separated,   with  your 


30  Get  Together 


memories  blighted  and  your  family  traditions  forgotten,  I  can- 
not reveal  to  you  any  thing.  For  wlien  my  soul  reaches  out 
into  the  great  future  beholding  the  full  glories  in  sight,  those 
of  you  who  are  so  different  nftd  apart,  will  not  be  able  to  con- 
ceive tlie  same  idea  and  the  same  fact. 

For,  saith  Jacob,  you  must  be  together  to  grasp  my  mean- 
ing.    So  long  as  what  one  believes  to  be  right  is  wrong  with 
the  other,  and  so  long  as  one  feels  that  his  conception  of  tilings 
is  more  sound  and  better  judged,  so  long  as  one  worships  love, 
/!^jipthQr  \vprships  power,  so  long  as  one  desires  pleasure  and 
^no^her,  wisdom,   §q  long   a.s   one   wants'   wealth   and   another 
.i^ime,  well  then,  you  ,.will  fail  to  penetrate  into  the  great  end. 
,■,    For  instance,   if  I  shall  reveal  to  you  that  the  end  will 
':be.  one  Qod  and  one  people,  some  of  will,  sa,)'  "l^ut  the  Je^^'s 
tliey.have  not  accepted,  God's  son,"  thepefore,  "vve  >vho  do  not 
agree  witli  tlieni   can   not  apply   your  prpphecy   of  .the  end," 
•Home  will  say,  "w<f  who  w'orsliip  only  one  grtjat  God  cannot 
•'desecrate,  jOur  belief  in  joining   with   the ,  ^vorsliipers  of ,  other 
parts  of  God."     Some  will  say,  "we  cannot  join  with  eitlier  one 
of   those,    iM'couse   they    have   not   accepted   our   gr^'at    teacher 
tlie  Mohammed  and  have  not  read  our  Coreaii."      Some   will 
s^jj  ''^u]t,  we.c^nnq^  at  all  conceive  the  idea  of  Gml,  there  is  no 
,  God.  and  we  are  atheists." 

Or  if  I  shall  i-eveal  to  you  that  there,  will  b^  ,.a"  time  jvben 
the.:  mad.  rush  of.  inoi^ey  will  cease,  then,  some  will  say,  "it  is 
not  possible.  For  witliQut  the  desire  for  money  industries  will 
cease,  the  world  will  become  languid  and  therp  will  be  no 
progress."  Or  if  I  , should  tell  you  that  evei-jbody  will  labor 
and  there,  will,  be  more  capital,  some  will  say  that  this  is 
.jabsuitl,  s^jp^ce  ther.e  must  be  a  brain  to  industiy  and  the  pro- 
moter, develo»per,  thinker,  should  and  must  get  what  he  is 
entitled  to.  Jt  1  should,  tell  you  lliat  the  time  will  come  when 
there  shall  be  no  separated  governments  but  the  whole  world 
will  be  one  country,  some  of  you  will  grow  angry  and  e.\clJaim 
this  is  impossible.  West  ard  Ers^t  never  meet  and  white  and 
yellow  never  greet.  If  I  shall  tell  you  that  sohietime  the 
planets  Avill  all  meet  and  the  woids  swimming  in   the  space 


Get  Together  31 


now  will  unite  into  one  huge  world,  some  of  you  vviTl  scien- 
tifically declare  that  I  am  not  coiTect,  since  there  are  elemen- 
tary impossibilities.  How  then  can  I  speak  to  you?  Get  then 
together  so  tli^t  I  may  reveal  to  you  the  end. 

First,  let  us  see,  is  there  an  end?  They  tell  us  the  sun 
goes. down,  but  does  it  not  shine  elsewhere?  They  tell  us  the 
«tars  fade,  but  do  ,tl\ey  not  glitter  elsewhere?  They  tell  us  the 
winds  subside,  but  do  they  not  rage  elsewhei'e?  They  tell  us 
the  storm  .has  abated,  but  does  it  not  toss  its  waves  else- 
(Where — the  ivavps  which  wash  one  shore  come  and  go,  and 
then  disappear.,  only  to  brush  up  against  an  island  hidden  from 
four  sight,  lOr  to  touch  some  far  shore  of  another  land? 
i  Everything  In  tliis  world  of  purs  turns  back  to  a  certain 

funqtion.  >Ve  fatten  the  earth  with  the  waste  of  the  earth,  we 
feed  our  ilej^h  with  the  flesh  of  flesh.  ,  One  thing  supports  an- 
other. M  is  only  t^ie  invisible  chain, we  cannot  behold.  The  end 
is  sometimes  th^  begiiining;.  Who  wants  to  believe  that  the  eyes 
Avhich  now  behold  the  loved  ones  and  the  dear  ones  will  cease 
to  see  them  when  the  body  grows  <;old?  Who  wants  to  be- 
.  lieve  that  the  heart,  which  is  now  warm  with  love  will  cease 
.rto  love  because  the  heart  .will  stop?  Is  not  oui*  will  power 
gi-eater?  ,,WUp  is  jnaster  after  all?  Is  it  not  the  I?  And  if 
we  stop  to  exist  in  oui-  presjent  form,  does  it  mean  that  our 
I  will  stop?  There  is  no  end.  Oftentimes  when  we  speak, 
our  voices,  seemingly  become  ..hushed  after  we  close  pur  lips. 
But  is  it  so?  Our  sounds  are  taken  up  by  ^he  air  and  carried 
away,  and  it  travels  somewhere,  where  it  is  picked  up  to  be- 
come language  again. 

What  then  does  Jacob  mean  when  he  speaks  to  his  chil- 
dren of  the  end?  Oh,  that  is  what  I  have  pictured  to  you  in 
the  beginning.  The  children  of  Jacob  standing  on  the  out- 
side, while  the  world  is  aglow  with  joy,  ask  one  another  with 
tears  in  their  eyes,  "when  will  come  the  end  to  all  that?" 
"AVHEN  WILL  THE  WORLD  OPEN  ITS  DOORS  TO  MAKE 
THE  ACQUAINTANCE  OP  HIS  BROTHEU?"  When  will  the 
world  remember  that  it  is  feasting  on  our  tables  and  that  our 
father  is  the  provider?"  When  ^ivill  the  world  sing  the  songs  of 


32  Get  Together 


our  family  without  a  feeling  of  bitter  hatred?  "Oh,"  cries 
Israel,  the  step  child,  "when  will  be  the  end?" 

Thus  saith  Jacob,  "come  here,  I  will  tell  you  when.  GET 
TOGETHER,  and  when  you  do  get  together  you  will  see  the 
end." 

Ciet  tt^ether,  Israel,  and  shake  off  the  dust  which  you 
have  accumulated  in  thy  long  travels  over  the  lands  of  the 
world.  Get  together  Israel  and  wash  your  hands  clean  from 
the  degenerate  of  your  own.  Get  together  Israel,  and  light 
the  homes  of  your  own  with  worship  and  love,  with  song  and 
tradition,  with  the  love  and  happiness  of  your  own  people. 
Get  together  Israel;  bring  your  children  to  your  fireside  and 
tell  them  the  tales  of  your  great.  Get  together  Israel  and 
once  for  all  realize  that  you  are  on  the  outside  when  the 
world  is  feasting.  Get  together  Israel  and  once  for  all  un- 
derstand that  you  aie  brethren,  of  one  fathei-,  of  one  family, 
of  one  fate,  of  one  liking,  of  one  judgment,  or  rather  you  are 
all  of  one,  being  misjudged.  Get  together  and  tear  your  mask 
oflf,  for  you  are  recognized  under  any  pretense. 

Israel,  if  you  want  to  know  your  end,  it  is  only  in  getting 
together.  Then  it  shall  be  that  the  words  of  the  prophet  will 
come  shiningly  upon  the  surface  of  the  skies,  pouring  its  words 
into  eery  heart  and  every  home.  "V,  hoioh  baiom  hahee  v, 
shochanti  b,  sochom."  "And  it  shall  be  that  on  that  day  I 
shall  dwell  with  them  and  and  among  them,  when  they  shall 
get  together."     Amen. 


Three  Promises  33 


THREE  PROMISES 

(Friday  Eve..  New  Vear  of  1920) 


"In  the  future  shall  Jacob  yet  take  root.  Israel  shall 
bud  and  blossom,  and  shall  fill  the  place  of  the  world  with 
fruit." 

It  is  very  befitting  to  meet  with  a  sentence  in  our  reading 
of  the  weekly  portion — the  Haphtorah,  which  speaks  of  the 
future  of  Jacob  and  Israel,  as  the  New  Year  of  1020  is  ushered 
in.  The  future  always  speaks  from  the  present  and  the  pres- 
ent must  have  a  past.  Thus  the  prophet  comes  tonight  and 
like  a  shining  light  points  out  to  us  at  the  beginning  of  our 
calendar  year  the  future.  In  the  future  shall  Jacob  yet  take 
root,  is  one  promise.  Israel  shall  bud  and  blosscHn,  is  another 
promise,  and  shall  fill  the  place  of  the  world  with  fruit,  is  an- 
other promise.  Thus  we  have  three  distinct  promises,  Root, 
Bloosom,  Fruit. 

With  a  quivering  Iieart  do  we  toucli  the  note  which  strikes 
the  sounds  of  our  prophets.  Sometimes  it  rings  out  in  all  its 
beauty  and  loveliness,  and  at  times  it  speaks  in  angry  and  even 
in  disappointed  expressions.  How  queer  it  is  when  the  world 
at  large  whistles  forth  its  joys  and  delights,  when  the  peo- 
ples are  lifting  their  goblets,  wishing  one  another,  "Happy 
New  Year,'*  we  too  hear  the  words  of  the  prophet  speaking  to 
us  of  a  future.  Yes,  of  future  years.  And  what  about  the 
past? 

People  sing  of  the  future  because  their  past  has  given 
them  the  thrill  of  happiness  and  glories.  People  rejoice  in  the 
future  because  they  have  a  very  pleasant  present,  but  Israel 
and  Jacob,  what  hast  thou  to  feast  and  sing?  Where  are  thy 
Joys  of  the  past  and  where  art  thou  in  the  present? 

"Ring  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  New,"  we  hear  in  every 
home  and  at  eveiy  assembly  of  merrymakers  on  the  New 
Year,  but  Israel  what  year  can  you  ring  out,  what  year  is  old 


34  Three  Promises 


to  you?  and  what  may  you  ring  in?  Each  year  hriiigs  a  sigh 
and  leaves  a  woe  Avhich  is  traceable  on  every  corridor  of  time. 
Each  year  brings  pain  and  leaves  a  wound  to  be  treated  in 
the  next  year.  Israel,' trembling  with  -much  pain,  looks  back 
into  the  years  that  have  sped  away,  and  fearfully  beholds  the 
years   which  are   coming   on. 

'  Somehow  the  heart  of  Israel,  I  mean  the  Israel  wlio  feels 
keenly  the  disturbance  of  his  own  people.  Israel  whose  heart 
palpitates  with  a  pulsating  love  for  his  own  brother.  Israel 
■who  understands  his  religion,  Israel,  who  conceives  the  great 
misfortunes  that  have  befallen  him  from  time  to  time.  Ye, 
that  Israel's  heart  is  gnawing  and  biting  with  questions,  and 
tearing  away  the  very  life  of  his  being  as  an  individual. 

Who  wants  the  prophet  to  come  and  speak  to  us  of  the 
fiitur6?  -Why  promises  of  tlie  future?  "My  eyes  are  sore  from 
crying,  speak  not  to  me  of  the  future,"  saith  the  exiled  Jew 
who  is'  brutally  driven  from  one  place  of  danger  into  another. 
"My  heart  is  broken  from  the  great  misfortunes  which  have 
visited  me  in  my  exile  and  I  cannot  hear  of  thy  future,"  ye, 

"I've  see  the  smiling 
'       '  ■  Of  fortunes   beguiling ; 

•       •'  ■  ■•      I've  felt  it  favors,  and  found  its  decay; 

Sweet  was  its  blessing, 

Iiind  it's  caressing;  - 

But  now  It  is  fled — fled  far  away. 

*'        •  •     "Oh,  fickle  fortune, 

Why  this  cruel  sporting? 
'       '"*  Oh,  why  still  perplex  us,  poor  sons  of  a  day? 

*'•  ■         ■■      No  more  your  frowns  can  fear  me, 

'     For  the  promises  of  the  past  are  faded  away.." 

But  hatk!  while  these  speak  and  otliers  lament,  while 
these  sing  and  others  feast,  the  voice  of  our  gTcat  and  sacred 
prophet  flashes  across  the  sl:y  which  seems  so  dark  and  stormy 
looking;   like   a   bright  lightning   under   a   heavy   dark   cloud. 


Throe  Promises  35 


His  voice  vibrates  like  the  thunder  which  follows  the  light- 
ning, pounding  its  meaning  into  our  hearts. 

"Jacob,  thou  art  dismayed  and  grieved,  you  are  forlorn, 
and  you  are  not  inclined  to  hear  my  words,"  nay,  *'thou  must 
hear  and  thou  shalt  be  happy." 

"My  first  promise  to  you  is  that  thou  shalt  take  root. 
Thy  thoughts  were  sublime,  thy  feelings  tender,  thy  heart 
soft  and  kind,  thy  voice  consoling  and  cheering,  but  thy  feet 
wandei-ed  from  one  place  unto  another,  you  were  here  and 
there.  Thy  children,  they  have  not  agreed  with  you.  Thy 
parents  they  did  not  understand  you,  thy  neighbors  they  did 
not  listen  to  you  and  so  you  clianged  from  day  to  day  seeking 
adaptation  to  the  soil  upon  which  you  were  accidentally 
blown  upon  by  the  whims  of  the  winds.  But  now,  I  have 
come  to  plant  thee,  not  in  every  clime  and  evei-y  age,  not  in 
every  state  and  eery  country,  but  I  have  come  to  plant  tliee 
so  that  you  can  take  root. 

"Ye,  I  know  thy  woes  and  I  feel  thy  sorrows,  I  have  cried 
with  thee  and  hoped  with  hee,  but  do  you  know  why  you  have 
gone  through  all  these  trials?  Because  thy  root  was  not 
plantetl.  When  a  wind  came  which  swept  across  a  country, 
you  wore  the  fiist  one  to  be  torn  away  with  it.  The  least 
unrest  moved  you  from  one  place  to  another  because  your 
root  was  not  planted.  You  were  not  on  your  own  feet,  you 
were  weak,  you  wei-e  changeable,  but  now  I  have  come  to 
plant  thee  so  that  you  take  root. 

"Let  the  winds  be  ever  so  strong,  let  the  storms  be  ever 
so  fierce,  let  the  peoples  be  ever  so  brutal  and  bloodthirsty, 
fear  not!  for  you  have  come  to  take  root,  and  thy  branches 
shall  go  deeper  and  ever  becoming  stronger  and  stronger, 
you  will  become  unmovable. 

"But  you  shall  not  merely  become  fast  in  the  earth  and 
remain  desolate  and  old  and  forsake  and  ugly,  nay,  nay,  you 
shall  bear  buds  and  blossoms.  |  Thy  blossoms  shall  be  the 
beauty  of  the  world.  And  when  the  world  will  want  to  find  a 
sign  of  beauty  and  love,  it  shall  come  to  thy  garden  to  find  the 
blossom   which  shall   send   forth   its   fragrance   wide  over   the 


36  Three  Promises 


world  and  its  peoples.  Ye,  it  shall  not  even  then  he  a  blossom 
only  which  fades  away,  for  sweet  as  the  rose  may  be  it  with- 
ers on  its  stem,  but  you  shall  bear  fruit.]  Thy  lofty  and  noble 
principles  shall  be  the  fruit  of  the  world  which  shall  feed  on 
it.  Thy  fruit  shall  fill  the  woi>ld  and  shall  bring  blessings 
upon  Humanity!" 

Fear  ye  not  then.  Oh  ye  Israel.  Ring  out  the  old  and  ring 
in  the  new.  Sing  with  the  world  at  large,  for  thy  root  is  tak- 
ing and  thy  blossom  is  wonderful  and  thy  fruit  exquisite  and 
delicious. 

The  voice  of  the  prophet  dies  away  in  the  stillness  of 
the  hour,  leaving  a  peculiar  feeling  of  consolation  with  us  all. 
Silently  do  we  take  the  lesson  and  silently  are  we  placing  our 
trust  that  the  root,  the  blossom,  the  fruit,  will  come  to  us  in 
the  new  year  of  1020.  So  time  speeds  on  and  we  sit  here  in 
the  wake  of  the  prophet's  words,  waiting  hopefully  for  our 
future,  watching  its  advance  with  eyes  of  hope  and  hearts  at 
peace,  for  the  prophet  hath  spoken.     Amen^ 


A  Mother's  Heart  37 


A  MOTHER'S  HEART 


"And  when  she  could  no  longer  hide  him,  she  took  for 
him  a  box  of  bulrushes  and  daubed  it  with  slime  and  with 
pitch;  and  she  put  the  child  therein,  and  laid  it  amidst  the 
flags  by  the  river. 

"And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  to  wash  her- 
self at  the  river,  and  her  maidens  walked  along  by  the  side 
of  the  river,  and  when  she  saw*  the  box  among  the  flags  she 
sent  her  maidens  and  fetched  it. 

"And  she  opened  it,  and  saw  the  child  and  behold,  it  was 
a  weeping  boy;  and  she  hath  compassion  on  him,  and  said, 
'This  is  one  of  the  Hebrew  children.'  " 

In  these  sentences  we  have  the  following  characters: 
First — a  mother,  heartbi-oken,  hiding  her  child,  then  when  it 
is  impossible  for  sake  of  the  rest  of  the  family  trying  to  shel- 
ter it,  hiding  it  and  watching  it;  Second — a  woman's  heart,  as 
the  princess  shows.     Pity,  Understanding,  Love. 

(a)  Pity — She  hath  compassion. 

(b)  Understanding — She  understood  the  situation  as 
she  declares  him  to  be  one  of  the  Hebrews. 

(c)  Love — She  brings  him  up. 

Through  these  things  a  people  were  eventually  redeemed 
from  slavery.  Why?  If  you  and  I  were  to  search  the  earth 
for  the  most  precious  thing,  what  do  you  think  we  should 
be  looking  for?  If  you  and  I  were  to  set  out  hunting  for  the 
dearest  thing  in  the  world  what  do  you  think  we  should 
value  most?  If  you  and  I  were  to  compare  our  wants  with 
the  desiies  of  the  everyday  man  or  woman,  we  should  dis- 
cover the  very  identical  wish.  THE  WHOLE  BEING  OP  THE 
WORIJ)  IS  YEARMXG  FOR  LOVE,  from  childhood  unto  ripe 
jige.  It  is  love  which  spurs  us  to  act,  to  labor,  to  hope,  to  sing, 
to  pray  and  admire.  But  there  me  many  shades  of  that  word 
Love.     Passions,  imagination  and  love  for  m«>ney,  iK>wer,  fame. 


38  A  Mother's  Heart 

Let  us  search  which  one  is  acceptable  to  all  and  which  one  is 
loved  by  all. 

Who  will  deny  that  the  love  of  a  mother  is  the  dearest, 
the  most  precious,  the  most  yearned  for  by  every  heart?  It 
is  pure,  it  is  sacred,  it  is  self-sacrificing,  it  is  endless,  it  is  for- 
giving, it  is  holy,  it  is  never  doubting  and  ever  trusting. 

The  mother's  eyes  are  softly  and  lovingly  watching  the 
growth  and  rise  of  her  dear  ones.  The  mother's  heart  is  al- 
ways open  and  warm  for  her  dear  ones.  Which  mother  would 
not  shelter  her  son,  even  though  the  entire  world  condemn 
and  despise  him?  Ye,  ft  is  then  that  she  would  shelter  him  un- 
der her  motherly  wings  still  more.  The  veiy  word  MOTHER 
rings  to  the  ear  in  such  a  i)athos  of  deep  feeling  that  it  shakes 
off  the  dust  of  the  common  thought.  It  leaves  one  kind  and 
thoughtful. 

Considering  the  love  of  the  mother  we  cannot  help  but 
dwell  upon  the  incident  which  tells  of  a  mother  hiding  her 
child  from  an  enemy  and  then  at  the  end  feeling  helpless, 
bundles  him  up  and  with  her  own  hands  casts  hJm  upon  the 
water. 

I  have  seen  a  picture  like  this  with  my  own  eyes  sojue 
time  ago.  During  my  student  life,  in  New  York,  I  roomed 
in  the  midst  of  the  so-called  Jewish  Ghetto,  in  a  laige  tene- 
ment house.  Midnight,  a  great  turmoil  arose  in  the  cor- 
ridors and  I  heard  cries  and  loud  footsteps.  Hastily  I  rushed 
out  to  see  what  was  taking  place  only  to  find  that  the  entire 
building  was  wrapped  in  a  thick  smoke,  out  of  which  great 
tongues  of  flames  lashed  here  and  there.  By  some  act,  I  do 
not  remember  now  how,  but  I  found  myself  down  stairs.  The 
smoke  was  pouring  and  the  flames  weie  hot,  the  noise  was 
t*»rrible,  while  the  flow  of  the  water  from  the  firemen's  pipes 
were  terriffic.  On  the  top  of  this  great  noise  a  cry,  a  terrible 
moan  was  heard.  It  pierced  tlirough  every  one's  heart.  A 
mother  was  holding  her  hands  stretched  out,  tearing  her  hair, 
and  throwing  herself  towards  the  flames,  with  a  hoarse  cry, 
"Oh,  my  child!  my  child,  my  child!"  Her  eyes  were  search- 
ing the  windows.      She  had  forgotten   one  child   in   the   rush. 


A  Mothers  Heart  39 

Everybody  cried  with  her,  for  it  was  tlie  lot  of  this  mother  to 
see  her  own  cliild  being  burned  in  the  blaze  and  not  being  al- 
lowed to  come  to  its  rescue.  A  mother's  heart  was  rent  and 
the  world  cried  with  her.  Jochebed  stoo<l  there  too  with  her 
heart  gone  from  pain,  watching  her  own  child  being  taken 
up  by  the  waves  of  the  river  Nile. 

AVhile  the  river  Nile  carried  on  its  bosom  the  child, 
rocking  it  hither  and  thither,  a  Princess  of  the  house  of 
Pharoah  came  down  to  enjoy  its  refreshing  water.  A  pi-in- 
cess,  with  roses  upon  her  path,  and  music  in  her  ears,  with 
dreams  of  fancy  and  mighty  servants.  With  a  heart  at  ease 
and  rest,  she  came  leisurely  walking  down  on  the  banks  of 
the    rivter    Nile. 

*'And  she  saw  the  box  on  the  water.  She  sent  her  maid- 
ens to  fetch  it.  And  she  opened  it  and  saw  a  child.  Behold, 
it  was  a  weeping  boy,  and  she  hath  compassion  on  him,  pity 
on  him,  and  said,  'this  is  one  of  the  Hebrew  children.'  " 

It  would  seem  that  one  who  is  reared  in  a  palace  of  hatred 
and  bigotry,  one  who  has  never  felt  the  pang  of  want  and  dis- 
appointment, that  naturally  such  one's  heart  would  be  hard 
and  proi:d.  BUT  SHE  WAS  A  WOMAN  WITH  A  MOTHER'S 
HEART.  Yes,  deep  in  her  breast  there  was  the  foundation  of 
God's  seed,  the  love  for  the  chi!d,  the  fondness  for  the  small,  the 
pity  for  the  baby's  cry.  She  stood  there,  holding  the  crying 
child  in  her  princely  arms,  while  upon  her  shone  the  hot  sun 
of  Egypt,  giving  a  scene  which  we  may  call  the  HEART  OP 
THE   WORLD. 

The  heart  of  the  world  beats  for  the  helpless.  The  heart 
of  the  world  loves  the  dear  ones.  The  heart  of  the  world 
heeds  to  the  cry  of  a  child.  AVho  among  you  would  pass 
calmly  witliout  aid,  upon  Ix^holding  a  helpless  being?  Who 
among  you  would  neglect  your  own  dear  ones?  Who  among 
you  would  not  stop  to  wipe  the  tear  of  a  crying  child?  Who 
among  j'ou  does  not  possess  the  feeling  of  pity,  of  love,  of 
understanding?  Who  can  not  claim  tJie  owner  of  such  a 
lieart  ? 

•  Woe  unto  the  man  or  woman  whose  lieait  is  so  cold,  as 


40  A  Mother's  Heart 

not  to  have  pity.  Pity  unto  the  one  whose  heart  can  not  lieed 
to  the  cry  of  a  child.  Shame  unto  the  one  whose  heart  does 
not  beat  for  his  own  dear  ones. 

It  is  only  the  brute  M'ho  will  not  aid  the  helpless.  It  is 
only  the  tyrant  who  has  not  pity  for  the  child.  It  is  only 
the  degenerate  who  ffwsakes  and  forgets  his  own  dear  ones. 

Without  pity  for  one  another  what  is  life?  AVhat  worth 
would  our  life  be?  Without  understanding  we  would  be  like 
the  world  without  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Without  love  we 
would  be  as  if  without  the  sun  entirely,  groping  in  cold  and 
darkness,  a  life  empty  of  everything  which  is  sweet  and  holy, 
of  everything  which  is  sacred  and  everlasting.  Man  would 
hate  man.  AVoman  would  despise  woman.  Child  would  kill 
his  own  parents,  and  mother  would  forsake  her  own  children. 
The  tree  would  cease  to  yield  fiuit,  the  earth  would  stop  pro- 
ducing, the  clouds  would  not  gather,  the  sun  would  hide 
under  the  mountains,  the  world  would  be  cold  and  bare. 

Let  us  then  search  our  hearts  for  pity,  for  love,  for  un- 
derstanding. Pity  is  akin  to  love,  love  is  a  brother  of  under- 
standing. Let  us  search  for  them.  How  much  pity  have  you 
in  your  heart  for  your  fellow  being?  Pity  docs  not  only  mean 
in  time  of  hunger  or  distress,  but  when  you  see  your  neigh- 
bor, closing  his  ear,  shutting  his  heart  to  the  noble  things  of 
this  world,  don't  you  have  pity  with  him  or  her?  When  you 
see  one  wasting  time  on  foolishness  where  one  could  use  that 
bit  of  precious  time  for  the  betterment  of  his  family's  wel- 
fare, for  the  uplifting  of  his  own  morals,  for  the  improvement 
of  his  civic  life,  don't  you  have  pity  with  him  or  her?  When 
you  see  one  willfully  neglecting  his  or  her  Religion,  the  only 
thing  in  life  which  offers  hope  in  time  to  come,  don't  you 
have  pity  with  him  or  her? 

Or,  when  you  see  one  doing  his  or  her  best  to  help  a 
good  cause,  don't  you  love  him  or  her  for  it?  When  you  see 
cme  giving  up  time  to  collect,  to  assemble  for  a  church,  for  a 
noble  thing,  for  a  worthy  cause,  don't  you  love  him  or  her? 

How  much  pity  have  you  in  your  heart  for  yourself? 
Do  you  sometime  pity  yourself  why  so  much  time  is  fleeting 


A  Mother's  Heart  41 

away  and  nothing  of  importance  has  taken  place  in  your  life? 
Do  you  sometime  pity  yourself  when  you  read  of  the  great  and 
successful  why  you  are  not  in  their  class?  Do  you  not  some- 
time pity  yourself  why  you  are  not  in  their  class?  Do  you  not 
sometime  pity  yourself  why  you  have  failed  to  realize  things 
too  late? 

And  do  you  not  sometime  love  yourself  when  you  have 
done  a  woitliy,  a  noble  act  in  your  daily  routine.  Have  you 
ever  given  charity  or  acted  for  it  and  felt  its  reward,  1  mean 
you  loved  yourself  for  it? 

Oh,  those  feelings  of  love,  of  pity,  how  precious  they  are 
in  our  short  and  brief  existence!  Let  us  search  our  hearts 
for  these  qualities.  Let  us  develop  that  wonderful  virtue  of 
pity,   understanding,   love. 

Ye,  like  the  daughter  of  Pharoah,  being  touched  by  the 
spark  of  God's  divine  self,  brought  about  the  redemption  of  a 
people  in  the  years  after.  So  it  is  with  us,  having  possession 
of  these  virtues,  we  shall  love  our  fellow  men,  we  shall  un. 
derstand  our  neighbors,  we  shall  have  pity  with  the  fallen 
ones. 

Thus  in  doing  so  we  shall  strengthen  our  own  lives  and 
making  same  worth  the  while.  In  doing  so  we  shall  render 
excellent  citizens  to  our  great  country,  nay,  help  it,  to  be- 
come the  flag  of  the  world  with  all  its  Avonderful  and  elevat- 
ing principles,  and  in  the  flnal,  bring  about  the  redemption  of 
a  people  who  are  ignorant,  who  are  hungry,  who  are  being 
misunderstood  and  who  misunderstand,  for  they  lack  pity, 
understanding,  love. 

For  after  all,  my  friends,  if  we  are  to  reason  with  our- 
selves truly  and  earnestly,  we  shall  see  that  it  is  not  because 
we  are  worth  all  what  we  have  and  possess,  only  it  is  because 
the  Heavenly  Father  in  His  great  meiry  exercises  toward  us 
pity,  understanding,  and  love. 

Come,  have  pity;  rise,  have  understanding,  lift  up  your 
soul,  have  love.     We  shall  enjoy  a  better  world  then.     Amen. 


42  Israel  Speaks  lo  the  Nation 


ISRAEL  SPEAKS  TO  THE  NATION 

(During  the  World  War-1917) 


Standing  as  we  do  now  on  the  threshold  of  a  new  and 
better  era,  but  feeling  the  change  and  the  demand  made  upon 
us  very  keenly  I  think  that  my  subject  is  timely  and  more  so 
necessary.  There  are  times  when  the  truth  must  be  told,  but 
there  are  times  when  the  truth  must  be  forced  to  the  fi'ont 
and  make  itself  heard.  There  ar  times  whn  we  should  speak 
and  there  ai'e  times  when  we  are  to  keep  quiet.  The  word 
spoken  in  time  is  like  a  golden  apple  in  a  silver  basket,  and 
when  applied  in  place  is  like  a  diamond  vase  on  a  marble 
table.  There  are  times  when  your  heart  cries  out  with  pro- 
test and  bitterness,  and  there  are  times  when  the  heart  is 
Avilling  to  harden,  in  order  to  drink  the  sweet  wine  of  the  good 
results  from  a  pain  that  leads  to  invigoration  and  invites 
new    life. 

AV'hat  are  the  fitting  things  to  be  spoken  of  in  these 
days?  What  are  the  cries  that  may  reach  our  ears?  AVhat 
are  the  vital  disturbances  which  cause  us  to  be  aroused  and 
stand  on  watch?  Hearken,  ye,  thus  speaks  God  unto  you  in 
tonight's  reading  of  the  portion. .  ( 1 )  "If  the  widow  cry  unto 
me  and  ye  will  not  hear  her  voice,  then  I  shall  hear  her  surely, 
but  unto  you  I  shall  cause  the  same  affliction.".  Behold!  again 
comes  the  voice  of  God.  (2)  "Thou  shalt  not  be  swayed  to 
judge  with  the  majority  for  evil."  (3)  Listen  fearfully  for 
the  voice  of  God  is  still  being  spoke,  "The  judges  thou  shalt 
not  i-evile  and  a  ruler  among  thy  people  thou  shalt  not  curse." 

When  a  great  conflagration  surrounds  you,  it  is  not  then 
to  study  the  cause  and  the  effect  of  the  fire.  For  as  the  shin- 
gles come  off  the  roof,  as  the  tongues  of  fire  curl  about,  as 
the  windows  are  pouring  out  volumes  of  smoke,  as  the  cHes 
are  heard  from  within,  and  as  tlie  building  threatens  to  fall 
and  bury  with  it  the  victims,   it  is  tlion   time^  to  exert  every 


Israel  Speaks  to  the  Nation  43 

possible  effort  to  extinguish  the  fire  and  rescue  the  unfortu- 
nate. AVhen  in  the  darkness  of  night  the  roar  of  the  cannons 
are  being  heaixl  and  the  fiash  of  the  fire  lightens  up  the  deso- 
lated fields  and  sends  forth  sparks  of  death,  it  is  not  time  to 
consider  what  sort  of  guns  the  enemy  is  using  and  how  many 
you  can  kill,  it  is  then  time  to  GO  OVER  THE  TOP  and  pursue 
the  enemy,  slay  him  or  take  him  captive.  When  standing  on  the 
banks  of  a  river  you  behold  some  one  drowning  it  is  not  then 
the  time  to  figure  whether  the  water  is  cold  or  warm,  whether 
it  is  deep  or  shallow;  go  jump  in  and  rescue!  Thus  it  is,  my 
friends,  at  this  hour  when  our  glorious  country's  floAver  is 
dug  in  the  earth,  and  all  that  is  sacred  to  the  American  citi- 
zen is  being  threatened,  and  while  some  mothers  or  wives  are 
already  wailing  for  their  dear  ones,  it  is  not  for  us  to  con- 
sider the  cause,  the  effect,  what  has  been  or  what  will  be, 
whether  it  is  a  beginning  of  this  world  or  an  end  of  this 
globe,  which  God  will  save  us  and  which  God  curse  us.  No,  my 
friends,  it  is  now  to  guai*d  ourselves,  to  eat  a  dry  morsel,  to 
deny  ourselves  all  pleasures,  to  sleep  on  straw,  to  disrobe 
evei-y  bit  of  unnecessary  clothing,  to  give  and  give  and  give 
and  give;  for  it  is  the  cry  of  those  who  are  to  bear  the  brunt 
and  endure  the  suft'erings  of  war.  It  is  the  cry  of  those  who 
will  cairy,  or  are  carrying  the  i)rinciples  and  the  flag  of  our 
great  America  over  to  the  lands  from  which  we  have  come 
and  teach  them  democracy,  free  them  from  tyranny.  Thus 
said  the  Lord,  "Be  not  with  the  majority  for  evil."  Even 
though  you  will  hear  them  all  say  wrong,  wrong,  it  is  for  you 
to  stand  by  all  that  is  right,  and  all  that  goes  to  make  the 
right. 

Israel,  who  has  learned  this  lesson  through  suffering  and 
to  whom  this  law  is  set  forth,  shouts  aloud  to  the  American 
nation.  Go  forth,  fear  not,  while  we  do  not  say  God  is  favor- 
ing any  kind  of  war,  and  while  we  do  not  believe  in  the  power 
of  the  sword  and  might,  but  this  is  the  law  of  Go<l,  "Be  not 
with  the  <'vil  even  though  they  be  in  majority,"  and  surely 
to  execute  the  law  of  God  we  are  in  the  right  and  we  have 
eveiy  leason  to  hope  that  God  will  be  with  us.     For  is  it  right 


44  Israel  Speaks  to  the  Nalion 

to  oppress?  Is  it  right  to  slave  the  orplian?  Is  it  right  to 
exploit  the  widow?  Is  it  right  to  persecute  your  neighbor? 
Woe  unto  them!  for  thus  said  God  "Behold  if  the  widows  ery 
unto  me  I  shall  hear  their  voices,  then  your  wives  shall  be- 
come widows  and  your  affliction  shall  even  be  greater  than 
their's." 

It  seems  to  me  that  in  the  stillness  of  the  eve,  one  can 
hear  the  wailing  of  the  hungry  and  the  crj'  of  the  cold.  It 
seems  to  me  in  our  silent  devotional  prayer  we  hear  the  deep 
sigh  of  the  widow,  it  seems  to  me  that  as  we  retire  and  as  we 
close  our  eyes  to  rest,  we  see  the  weary  and  the  agonized 
suffering  soldiers,  yes,  all  of  that  do  you  call  right?  and  shall 
we  go  with  the  evil?  and  shall  then  not  God  prove  that  His 
words  come  tiue?  Ye  oppressors  of  widows  and  children, 
your  time  of  afliiction  shall  be  a  thousand  fold  greater  than 
what  you  intended  to  force  upon  the  inno<-ent  and  the  peace- 
ful! 

Thei-e  is  however  a  tendency  when  it  hurts  to  utter  a 
cry,  and  when  the  wound  is  fresh  to  give  vent  to  passionate 
outbursts,  and  so  you  will  find  that  here  and  there  some  one 
who  will  murmur  a  silent  protest  and  say,  "why  all  this  and 
who  asked  the  rulers  and  the  judges  of  this  nation  to  bring 
on  all  of  this  misery  and  strife?" .  Those  people  have  forgot- 
ten the  word  of  God,  "The  judges  thou  shalt  not  revile  and 
the  ruler  thou  shalt  not  curse."  And  above  all  else,  it  is 
not  a  timely  saying  and  it  spreads  evil  and  works  inevitable 
misery.  It  is  not  the  fit  hour  to  discuss  the  leaders'  motives, 
this  is  a  time  to  follow  and  do  the  best  one  can  and  when  the 
air  will  clear  from  smoke,  and  the  fragrance  of  the  blooming 
flowers  will  send  forth  its  delicious  odor,  when  the  piping- 
music  of  the  shepherd  will  be  echoing  in  the  mountains,  and 
the  men  will  chant  their  harvest  songs,  when  women  will 
have  a  happy  smile  on  their  faces,  and  men  Avill  again  laugh, 
when  children  will  And  their  papa's  home  and  the  schools  will 
tell  of  the  Great  War  in  the  years  of  '16,  '17,  '18;  THEN  the 
grumblei-s  will  have  the  pilvih'.ije  to  sit  down,  think  it  over 
and  ASK  TO  BE  FORGIVEN. 


Israel  Speaks  to  the  Nation  45 

For  while  it  is  said  Nations  are  now  bleeding,  the  World 
is  trembling,  Religion  is  failing,  Humanity  is  crumbling.  Civ- 
ilization is  vanishing.  Society  is  disappearing  and  so  it  said 
very  foolishly  that  it  is  the  end,  and  that  a  Redeemer  is  com- 
ing. But  I  say  unto  you  that  as  long  as  there  is  a  man  in 
this  country  who  goes  to  give  his  life  and  as  long  as  there 
is  a  government  who  stands  ready  to  support  his  life,  as  long 
as  there  are  women  and  men  filing  into  a  line  of  helping  such 
as  the  Rc<l  Cross  anr  the  National  Defense  and  all  of  them, 
as  long  as  there  Is  love  extended  to  the  needy  and  a  tear  wiped 
off  the  face  of  the  widow,  then  the  world  is  not  to  end  and 
the  redeemer  IS  here.  Ijove  is  returned  as  we  give  it.  Bravery 
is  regarded  by  its  valor,  and  life  is  sacred.  For  life  is  a  mirror 
is  regarded  by  its  valor,  and  life  is  sacred. 

For  life  is  a  mirror  of  king  and  slave. 

'Tis  just  what  we  are  and  do. 

Then  give  to  the  world  the  best  you  have 

And  the  best  will  come  back  to  you. 
Thus  be  it  remembered  that  while  it  is  time  to  help  it  is  not 
the  time  to  argue,  while  it  is  time  to  encourage,  it  is  no  time 
to  debate,  while  it  is  the  time  to  inarch  onward  to  the  goiti 
of  golden  roads  and  triumphant  victory  over  brutality,  it  is 
not  time  to  listen  to  the  song  of  the  siren.  Be  strong  and 
courageous,  follow  the  lead  of  your  leaders.  Do  away  with 
the  oppression  of  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and,  above  all, 
when  you  know  that  you  are  right,  then  you  must  not  let 
the  majority  persuade  you;  go  on!  fight  on!  struggle  on! 
Truth  mast  conquer.  Nobility  of  character  is  more  endurable. 
Freedom  is  like  a  chain  wrought  from  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
warming  yon,  strengthening  you  and  upon  which  the  whole 
world  is  revolving.  As  long  as  this  chain  is  strong  the  world 
is  safe;  hold  on,  do  not  let  one  link  break.  Thus  is  the  lesson 
of  tonight.       Amen. 


46  Gratitude 


GRATITUDE 

(DURING  THE  WORLD  WAR — 1917.) 


Strange  are  the  feelings  that  gather  in  our  hearts  and 
minds.  W^e  are  all  bewildered  and  stunned,  and  unconsciously 
there  conies  a  sigh,  often  accompanied  by  a  burning  tear  roll- 
ing down  our  cheeks.  The  time,  the  hour,  the  conditions,  are 
heavy  and  .uncertain.  We  are  looking  with  anxiety  to  thp 
next  day  and  wonder  what  the  coming  hour  will  bring.  And 
yet,  here  we  are  congregated  to  offer  thanks  to  the  Almighty 
for  His  kindness  and  His  mercy  to  us. 

Is  it  not  contrary  to  the  feelings  of  today?  Is  it  not 
mockery  to  thank  when  the  heart  bleeds  and  the  eye  is  dim 
with  teai's?  Is  it  not  time  to  protest  and  query  instead  of 
offering  submissive  thanks?  Why  this  all?  Why  this  great 
calamity  to  the  world? 

Nevertheless,  my  friends,  thi-nugh  the  many  wonders 
of  nature  and  under  the  ruling  hand  of  God;  as  the  cannons 
roar  awity,  and  the  swords  smite  down;  as  the  horses  gallop 
,in  their  charge  and  the  soldiers  tramp  over  the  dead,  we  must 
see  the  prophecy  of  our  God  shining  through!  We  hear  and 
we  behold  the  voice  and  the  hand  of  God-  It  is  therefore, 
my  friends,  that  we  have  to  expiess  our  gratitude.  We  are  in 
the  presence  of  God.  We  are  seeing  the  greatest  and  deaiest 
di'eams  come  true.  And  it  is  given  to  us  to  execute  the  will  and 
-to  help  the  workings  of  GtKl.  We  are  His  partners,  and  we 
aie  to  consider  it  as  a  privilege.  Aside  from  the  Go<lly  factor 
in  this  great  upheaval  and  new  peoples,  let  us  look  at  the 
practical  and  physical  side  of  this  issue. 

AVE   GLORY   IN   OUR  HISTORY. 

Let  us  look  at  this  matter  fi-om  two  angles,  as  an  American 

and  as  a  Jew.     As  an  American,  we  need  only  turn  to  tlie  pages 

of  oui"  history  and  our  blood  will  leap  with  a  feeling  of  pride 

and    exultant    feeling!       Why?      IJecause    there    we    see    how 


Gratitude  47 

brave  our  American  fathers  were  and  what  they  have  given 
their  lives  for — freedom  and  democracy!  And  when  the  hour 
came  to  demand  it,  nay,  to  war  for  it,  then,  oh,  then,  there 
was  no  wailing;  and  the  arms  tliat  clung'  devotedly  to  those  we 
love  most,  were  taken  off,  and  the  hands  that  clasped  fondly 
the  tittle  ones,  shook  good-by,  and  then  the  great  battles  of 
'76  and  '61.  American  blood  was  shed  for  freedom  and  for 
liberty.  It  is  the  very  life  of  America.  It  is  the  very  flesh 
and  the  very  blood  of  the  American  to  hold  out  tlie  banner  of 
Freedom.  Today,  as  the  ugly  monster  of  barbarism  is  creep- 
ing over  our  globe  and  threatens  to  put  his  paw  here;  and 
there  it  is  swallowing  up  the  innocent  and  the  young,  the 
woman  and  the  child,  can  we  as  true  Americans  stand  back 
and  let  all  this  take  place?  Would  we  not  write  in  the  pages 
of  future  history  with  shame,  had  we  not  entered  into  this 
struggle  to  help  destroy  this  monster?  Shall  we  not  l>e  thank- 
ful that  to  us  is  given  the  privilege  to  assist  and  create  the 
ever  hoped  for  state  of  democracy  throughout  the  world?  I 
know  it  is  hard.  I  know  that  the  price  is  very  heavy  and 
painful,  but  what  of  thj|f?  EVERY  GREAT  IDEA,  EV- 
ERY NOBLE  DEED  IS  ACCOMPLISHED  BY  SACRI- 
FICE* and  why  can  we  not  as  Americans  offer  it 
j;ladly?  Yea,  and  render  thanks  to  God  that  it 
is  .given  to  us  to  establish  the  great  and  wonderful  Messianic 

•  principle  of  democracy  and  equality.  Can  you  as  Amei-ican  not 
bow  your  head  in  prayer  and  be  grateful?  See  ye  not  the 
hand?  Hear  ye  not  the  voice?  The  body  of  this  world  is  ill, 
l>lace  your  hand  upon   its  pulse  and   you   Avill  know   that  we 

,  need  new  blood,  blood  of  freedom,  blood  of  equality,  blood  of 
brotherhood,  blood  of  common  understanding,  and  that  you 
Americans  must  be  ready  to  infuse  this  blood  even  though  it 
is  a  painful  operation.  Give  it,  and  be  thankful  that  you  can 
be  of  such  great  help.  You  are  the  ambassador  that  Go<l 
pointed  to  in  this  book. 

BUGLE    OP    NEW    NATION    HEARD 
As   Jews   we   kneel    in   prayer   and   thanks   tonight   more 
than    ever    in    the    last    two    thousand    years.       At    this    hour 


48  Gratitude 

when  the  clouds  that  hung  over  the  heaven  of  Israeldom  and 
the  walls  that  kept  the  sun  out  are  disappeai-ing  and  the 
bugle  of  a  new  nation  and  a  new  people  is  heard,  shall  we 
not  be  thankful?  Who  of  Jacob  that  feels  and  thinks,  who  of 
Lsaac  that  hopes  and  wishes,  who  of  Abraham  that  loves  and 
cherishes,  who  of  this  great  people  that  retains  honor  and 
pride  will  not  at  this  hour  radiate  with  gratitude  to  our  good 
and  great  God?  Who  of  the  human  race  will  not  see  that 
the  hand  of  God  is  now  offered  to  us?  We  wlio  have  suffered 
and  died  for  what  the  entii-e  world  is  fighting  now,  are  to- 
night standing  together  with  those  who,  time  and  time  again, 
misused  us,  despised  us,  and  held  us  out  as  a  stubborn  people. 

Children  of  the  human  race,  the  hour  is  here  when  the 
long  hoped-for  gi'eat  idea  of  a  common  brotherhood  will  1m» 
the  prevailing  and  dominating  thought.  Happy  are  we  that 
we  live  in  this  age  when  the  sacrifices  of  our  ancestors  are 
beaiing  fruit.  Happy  are  we  to  see  (he  propliecies  come  true. 
Happy  are  we  to  behold  the  entire  world  accept  the  Ix'tter  and 
the  cleaner  ideals  of  life,  that  not  with  the  swoitl  and  not 
with  blood,  not  with  persecution  and  inquisitions  can  nobler 
and  higher  thoughts  be  implanted,  but  that  freedom  and 
brotherhood  will  create  for  us  a  new  and  a  better  people  and 
nations. 

Prom  the  graves  of  our  American  fathers  this  wish  is 
heard,  from  the  shadoAvs  of  our  Jewish  martyrs  tliis  is  point- 
ed out.  Out  of  the  battle  crj'  in  the  fields  this  rings  above, 
namely,  that  we  are  all  the  children  of  one  God  and  that  He 
will  hold  His  promises  to  us.  What  are  they?  That  all  man- 
Kind  shall  dwell  together  and  there  shall  be  no  more  strike. 
Above  all,  let  us  be  thankful  that  we  can  in  our  humble  way 
understand  it.     Amen. 


A  On-  for  Zion  40 


A  CRY  FOR  ZION 

(DURI\G  THE  AVORLD  WAR — 1017-1918.) 


Overwhelmed  by  tremendous  problems  of  the  day,  and 
disturbed,  yea,  even  at  times  frightened  by  the  shadows  Avhich 
are  grouping  around  us,  I  speak  to  you  tonight  with  a  trem- 
bling heart.  In  taking  the  text  which  I  have  chosen  tonight 
from  tomorrow's  reading,  "And  when  ye  offer  up  your  gifts, 
when  ye  make  your  sons  pass  through  the  fire,  ye  pollute  your- 
selves, with  all  youi'  idols,  even  unto  this  day,  and  that  which 
comes  up  unto  your  mind  shall  not  at  all  come  to  pass  (name- 
ly, that  ye  say  We  will  be  like  the  nations,  like  the  families 
of  other  countries.  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  with  a  mighty 
hand  shall  I  rule  over  you,  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Jjord  when  I  bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel,  into  the  coun- 
try which  I  have  chosen  for  your  fathers  to  give  it  to  them. 
And  ye  shall  remember  all  your  doings  and  ye  shall  loatli 
yourselves  because  of  all  the  evil  deeds  that  ye  have  commit- 
ted," I  am  bringing  before  you  one  of  the  most  striking  sent- 
tences  of  the  gi'eat  prophet  Ezekiel, 

Before  us  is  spread  a  panorama  of  ages  in  which  Israel 
suffered  with  the  nations  he  had  lived.  Practically  in  every 
war  that  was  waged  the  children  of  the  Hebrew  race  partici- 
pated. Yet  in  no  war  and  at  no  time  were  we  so  closely  at- 
tached, so  dearly  touched,  so  patriotically  moved,  so  loyal 
with  all  our  hearts,  as  the  war  which  our  great  country  Ls  go- 
ing through  now. 

And  so  before  I  attempt  to  speak  on  our  subject  let  it  be 
fully  understood  tliat  there  must  be  no  doubt  or  misunder- 
standmg  as  to  our  love  and  devotion  to  America.  Whatever 
my  cry  may  be  for  Zion  it  is  the  right  of  a  nation  to  hold  to  its 


50  A  Cry  for  Zion 


traditions,  it  is  the  privilege  of  a  people  to  remember  its  past, 
it  is  the  duty  of  a  race  to  reconstruct  its  battered  body,  it  is 
in  full  accord  with  the  thought  of  today  that  each  people  bring 
out  the  best  that  is  in  them. 

If  times  were  normal  then  the  thing,  the  wonderful  thing 
of  Palestine  being  returned  unto  Israel  perhaps  would  be  of 
less  importance,  but  now,  when  we  live  in  the  most  grue- 
some yet  most  remarkable,  in  the  greatest  chaos  yet  greatest 
promises,  in  the  remaking  of  Civilization,  then  the  rebirth  of 
Lsrael  shines  forth  in  the  most  dazzling  rays  of  hopes  not  only 
to  Lsrael  but  to  the  world  at  large. 

Marvelous  things  are  being  spun  in  our  brains.  In  the 
darkness  of  the  unknown  future  thousands  of  sparks  are  be- 
ing flashed,  in  the  thickness  of  the  clouds  new  thoughts  are 
being  created,  in  the  shouting  on  the  battle  fields  new  voices 
are  being  heard,  in  the  sighs  of  the  wounded  ne;v  tender- 
ness is  being  shown.  No,  do  not  think  that  the  woes  and  the 
aches  and  the  pains  and  the  sonows  will  go  in  vain.  The 
earth  did  not  tremble  in  vain.  The  foundation  of  civilization 
did  not  tiemble  in  vain.  The  blocd  of  mankind  did  not  flow 
in  vain.     No,  changes  will  come,  changes  must  come  I 

The  world  is  pregnant  with  a  new  birth.  What  will  it 
be?  Shall  it  be  a  lasting  hatred  of  ojie  class  against  another? 
iShall  it  be  that  the  oppressed,  the  broken,  the  shattered,  the 
downtrodden,  the  poor,  the  weak  will  be  given  a  new  way  of 
relief,  ajid  that  such  things  will  not  be  again?  Will  there  be 
better,  nobler,  deeper  and  cleaner  ideals  of  life,  and  the  cor- 
rupt, the  shameful  and  besraii'ched  order  of  things  will  as- 
sume a  better  cloak?  No  one  can  tell.  All  we  know  now  is 
that  the  minds  of  nations  are  in  high  fervor,  that  the  heai-ts 
of  the  countries  which  flamed  with  hate,  shame,  persecution, 
exclusion,  inquisition,  murder  and  destruction,  is  vanishing 
by  their  own  evils.  Eaten  up  by  their  own  flames.  Destroyed 
by  their  own  sword  of  murder  and  plunder!  IJut  Israel,  the 
bearer  of  the  banner  on  which  was  tind  always  shall  be  in- 
scribed l/iberty  and  Justice,  lives  today  as  str^Hig  as  ever  be- 


A  Grv  for  Zioii  5  1 


fore.  Why?  because  not  only  by  the  will  of  God  but  also 
because  siicli  pi  inciples  strengthen  and  at  al  Itimes  offer  hope, 
makiuf!;  one  determined  to  hold  out. 

Yet,  speaks  our  Prophet,  even  as  we  sacrifice  our  youn^, 
even  as  we  go  through  this  fire,  there  are  some  of  us  who  say 
why  all  of  that?,  let  us  forget  it  all.  We  will  be  like  the  rest 
of  the  nations,  and  they  forget  that  it  is  the  impossible.  For 
saith  G(k1,  "even  with  a  strong  hand  shall  I  bring  they  out 
and  those  that  are  not  worthy  shall  be  cut  off."  How  then 
can  those  be  called  Jews?  How  can  a  child  be  called  a  child 
when  the  mother  is  calling,  begging,  and  the  child  does  not 
want  to  respond..  Is  this  a  child?  When  the  Mountains  oi' 
Zion  smile  at  us,  when  the  songs  of  David  are  being  heard  once 
more  on  ti>e  mountains  of  Karmel,  Chorab,  Kadesh  Zaitheem, 
and  in  the  valley  of  Jericho  the  tunes  of  the  shepherds  of  Is- 
rael are  echoing,  how  can  one  with  a  living  soul  of  the  Jew- 
ish nation,  with  a  burning  heart  of  the  Hebrew  race,  with  the 
hopes  of  Moses,  with  longings  of  Jacob,  with  the  dreams  of 
Isaac,  with  the  reverence  of  Abraham,  and  then  with  the  mil- 
lions of  Jewish  martyrs  laying  in  the  sands  of  all  cornei-s,  yes 
how  can  they  speak  in  the  name  of  Israel?  Thus  saith  Israel. 
It  is  the  land  where  my  greatest  thoughts  have  sprung  forth, 
it  is  the  land  where  my  noblest  people  spent  their  blood,  it  is 
the  land  where  great  traditions  were  born(  it  is  a  land  where 
my  soul  fumes  and  my  heart  palpitates,  my  mouth  speaks  and 
my  tongue  utters  the  word  of  God.  It  is  there  that  I  have 
come  that  I  have  been,  that  I  shall  be  the  Instructor,  the  Re- 
deemer of  the  purest,  the  noblest,  the  sublime  and  the  holy 
teachings  of  God  to  Mankind. 

Happy  are  we  that  it  is  given  to  us  to  see  with  our  own 
eyes  the  promises  of  God  come  true.  Happy  are  we  to  see  that 
(he  cause  for  which  we  have  fought  for  ages  is  now  the  battle 
ciy  of  the  greatest  countries  on  God's  earth.  Happy  are  we 
that  it  is  given  to  us  to  prove  that  even  longing  for  the  re- 
construction of  our  people  on  its  own  soil — for  it  is  only  there 


52  A  Cry  for  Zion 


that  actual  greatness  of  Israel  can  be  had — we  are  a  people 
loyal  to  the  countries  that  offered  us  protection  and  equal 
rights.  With  all  our  hearts  do  we  long  for  victory  of  our 
armies,  with  all  our  hearts  do  we  pray  that  the  principles  of 
our  great  country  may  become  the  leading  motto  in  every  na- 
tion on  the  globe,  but  with  al  lour  hearts  too  we  also  long  for 
the  returning  of  the  exiles  to  their  own  land,  with  all  our 
hearts  too  we  wish  to  behold  another  David,  another  Isaiah, 
another  great  Peremiah,  another  Ezekiel. .  Then,  oh  then,  the 
golden  thread  of  fate  will  combine  the  best  of  every  nation, 
the  purest  of  all  groups,  and  all  shall  recognize  the  power 
of  ONE  God;  and  that  we  are  all  His  children,  to  love,  to 
help,  to  cherish  one  another,  for  thus  speaks  God: 

On  that  day  the  Lord  shall  be  one  and  his  name  0\E. 
Amen. 


Kj^ 


A  Great  Lesson  53 


A  GREAT  LESSON 


Down  through  the  ages  lessons  were  expounded,  taught, 
experienced,  ye,  it  rolled  parallel  with  time  itself,  but  man- 
kind, now  as  of  yore,  ntast  be  whipped  into  realization  of 
eternal  truth,  of  perpetual  facts,  of  lus  small  and  infinite 
power,  by  visiting  impedents,  by  strange  occurences,  by  se- 
vere shocks,  by  the  cost  of  happiness,  strength,  vitality  and 
life  itself. 

People  travel  thousands  of  miles  to  beliold  the  ever 
silent,  ever  mysterious  Sphynx  standing  in  the  deserts  of 
Egypt.  They  bite  their  lips  in  amazement,  they  shake  their 
heads  in  wonder  and  within  their  hearts  a  feeling  of  awe, 
boidering  on  fear,  they  leave  mystified. 

Ages  liave  washed  its  head,  sands  have  covered  its  sides, 
the  rain  has  lashed  it,  the  sun  has  scorched  it,  yet  there  it  is, 
silent,  angry,  imposing,  mysteriously  standing  alone.  People 
have  come,  and  never  come  back,  for  they  vanish.  But  the 
Sphynx  is  always  there.  A  GREAT  LESSON  ALWAYS 
TEACHING. 

Oh,  my  friends,  if  you  would  only  open  your  eyes,  if  you 
would  only  step  a  little  closer  to  your  own  hearts,  if  you 
would  only  halt  a  moment  in  youi-  constant  moving  of  your 
sliadow  which  follows  you,  behold,  yon  would  see  a  Sphynx 
rising  before  you  in  all  its  majesty,  in  all  its  mystery,  in  all  its 
tragedy,  and  in  all  its  perpetuality. 

Ye,  a  Sphynx  not  made  of  mortar  and  lime  and  brick,  a 
Sphynx  not  made  of  a  pile  of  stones  and  dirt,  but  a  Sphynx 
c^ij-ved  of  the  finest  materials  of  man's  noblest  thoughts  and 
piinciples;  wi-ought  with  the  flesh  of  the  Soul  and  the  fibres 
cf  Humanity's  heart.  A  perpetual  question  in  the  life  of 
man's  existence,  an  eternal  pi-oblem  in  the  making  of  the 
world's  happiness,  are  everlasting  Sphynx  in  the  moral  and 
religious  life  of  oui'  civilization.  A  Sphynx  which  does  not 
s:)eak  of  the  life  and  past  of  our  people,  but  a  Sphynx  which  in 


54  A  Great  Lesson 


every  age,  in  every  clime,  in  all  the  corners  of  the  humanity's 
globe  cries  the  same. 

Draw  nearer,  I  shall  unfold  to  you  the  gi-eatest  majestic 
figure,  I  shall  introduce  you  to  the  deepest  mystery  of  ages, 
I  shall  show  you  one  of  its  lessons,  but  they  are  endless.  Ye, 
deep  as  the  Sea,  wide'  as  the  heavens,  high  as  the  Suns,  teach- 
ing us  forever. 

What  is  the  Sphynx?  What  is  tliat  Icvsson?  Behold,  it 
is  the  Bible  which  we  read  and  study.  It  is  the  book  of  the 
Prophets  which  we  I'ead.  It  is  the  sacred  thoughts  which 
we  at  all  times  find  in  the  Torah. 

Yes,  what  a  peculiar  thing  this  book  is;  written  by  men 
inspired  by  Go<l  it  has  been  the  means  of  stemming  the  anger 
of  the  fool,  the  fountain  of  wisdom  for  wise,  the  comfort  of 
heart  for  the  sorrowful,  the  tragedy  of  the  Jew,  the  inspira- 
tion of  Christianity,  the  guide  of  the  Mohammed,  the  whip 
in  the  hands  of  the  unscrupulous  and  bigoted.  Prom  age  to 
age,  it  speaks;  and  it  is  for  us  to  decipher  its  wondei-ful  les- 
sons. It  was  given  in  the  desert,  thus  signifying  that  it  be- 
longs to  all  and  therefoie,  even  if  the  entire  human  heart 
grows  cold,  void  and  desolate  of  any  noble  thoughts — y<'t,  this 
Sphynx,  the  Torah  shall  always  be  there. 

Thus  grant  that  our  hearts  have  grown  cold  and  indif- 
ferent to  the  Bible — yet,  the  lessons  are  still  there.  Grant 
that  our  lives  have  become  so  sophisticated  that  we  need  not 
look  at  a  Sphynx. 

We  have  the  so-called  pi-etticr  things  to  look  upon.  A 
flowered  ethical  oration,  a  painted  t<j«-dancer,  a  brute 
financier,  a  guerillo  fighter,  why  then  bother  with  than  an- 
cient Sphynx?  Yet,  these  are  only  vanishing  things.  On  the 
screen  only  a  shadow  is  fleeting;  think  of  it,  only  a  shadow! 
A  flowered  ethical  orator — mere  words  that  fade  with  the 
passing  winds — leaving  emptiness  only,  instead.  A  dance 
only  beauty  and  grace — if  they  have  any — that  dies  with 
the  lythni  of  music.  These  ;  le  ;he  things  which  we  wise  fel- 
lows have  chosen  to  follow — y?.  the  lesson  is  still  there. 

What  lesson  can  we  draw  tonight  of  the  Sphynx?  Mas  it 
ever  bj'en  taught  before?     Do  we  w:int  sinne  in  our  life? 


A  Great  Lesson  55 


Like  PhaiToah  many  of  us  assume  that  we  know  It  all. 
"I!  Why  I  am  the  man.  I  am  my  own  God."  You  know  the 
trutli,  you  who  are  assembled  here  know  well  that  each  one 
of  you  think  that  you — whoever  you  may  be — are  better,  wiser, 
nobler  than  the  other  fellow. 

AVhy  if  the  world  would  listen  to  your  own 
claims  —  each  one  of  you  —  tonight  —  would  be  some- 
thing else.  For,  according  to  your  own  theory,  you  aiv 
THE  man.  Some  would  be  leading  statesmen,  leading  capi- 
talists and  some  even  better  speakers  than  the  speaker.  Oh! 
that  false  pride  of  Pharoh  is  in  everyone's  heart,  in  every- 
one's soul  and  in  everyone's  pocket;  ye,  each  one  a  God  for 
himself. 

But  that  is  not  the  worst.  One  must  have  some  pride. 
What  then  is  the  weakness  of  Pharoh?  What  is  the  lesvson 
in  his  life,  which  stands  out  tonight,  as  an  ever-guiding  senti- 
nel, an  age  worn  Sphynx? 

It  is  HESITAXCV,  LACK  OF  CONFIDEXC  E  in  one's 
self,  LACK  OF  FAITH. 

Like  a  bejrgar,  Moses  humbly  knocked  at  the  door  of 
Phai'oh,  to  gain  fi'eedom  for  his  own  people.  Convincing  were 
the  arguments  of  the  flcry  tongue  of  Aaron,  powerful  were  the 
tokens  pi'oven  unto  Pharoh,  yet,  he  wavered,  time  and  time 
again. 

Oh,  Mail  of  liesh,  anim:il  of  habi!,  fool  at  heart,  how  long 
must  this  go  on? 

Wietched  and  ^rief  stricken  they  stand  with  their  bony 
hands  begging  for  a  morsel  of  food  while  in  their  eyes  the 
fire  of  hope  and  love  has  vanished — they  crj',  they  cry,  and 
their  voices  Anally  reach  us — We  tremble,  we  give,  but  in  our 
hearts  we  say — Xay,  Nay,  this  may  never  happen  to  me.  And 
we  turn  forth  forgetting  the  cries. 

Oh,  what  a  plague!  Blood  smirched  hands,  eyes  mad- 
dened with  ghastly  sights,  hell  of  war  spread  upon  a  country. 
We  are  moved,  our  hearts  are  rent  with  pity  and  love,  but  we 
forget  as  we  turn  away  from  it.  Oh,  what  a  plague!  Ye,  we 
feel  the  cold  hand  of  our  dead  ones,  we  see  the  eyes  full  of 
love  close,  we  cry,  our  hearts  break,  but  we  forget  as  we  turn 


56  A  Great  Lesson 


away.     Oh,  what  a  plague! 

Ye,  like  Pharoh,  we  behold  the  ti'uth,  when  sickness  and 
death  grips  «a  personally — when  we  fear  the  consequences  on 
our  own  back,  then,  and  only  then,  do  we  admit  to  the  mes- 
senger of  God's  voice. 

Is  this  not  the  greatest  failure  of  mankind;  is  this  not 
a  miserable  failure  to  each  one  of  us — that  the  thing  which  is 
most  important  in  our  existence,  should  only  be  recognized 
either  "when  it  is  too  late,  or  when  admittance  is  past  its  value. 

Think,  ye  mortals  of  your  own  failure  I  You  may  boast 
of  wealth,  of  strength,  of  wisdom,  but  of  what  avail  ai*e  these 
tilings,  when  we  lack  faith? 

Is  it  not  a  shame,  people  who  reason  and  see,  people  who 
understand  and  think,  should  eternally  have  to  be  reminded 
of  a  Powerful  Truth — the  Word  of  God! 

Behold,  the  Sphynx  is  before  us!  Moses  is  knocking 
humbly  on  our  heart's  door.  Come,  don't  hesitate  to  listen! 
Lift  yourselves  out  of  the  daily  trend  of  thinking — get  out  of 
slavery.  Break  those  shackles.  Come  let  us  go,  for  a  while 
to  feast  with  God!  Let  us  see  our  failure — and  it  is  a  veiy 
severe  one  to  doubt,  to  hesitate,  to  go  back  on  your  own 
eonvictions. 

Like  the  old  man  crossing  a  narrow  plank  over  the 
I'iver,  who  made  a  pledge  that  if  he  will  cross  it  safely  he 
will  donate  so  much  as  $50  to  charity.  He  ventuieil  forth 
and  came  across  as  near  as  possible  to  the  other  side.  Think- 
ing that  he  was  safer,  he  immediately  thought.  Oh,  well,  I 
think  $50  is  too  much;  well,  40,  30,  20,  10,  5;  but  as  he  was 
figuring,  the  plank  be;;an  to  give  way — "Oh,  Oh,  God,"  said 
the  old  man,  "Look,  look  at  him,  can't  you  take  a  joke?" 

Let  us  quit  joking — we  have  iiot  yet  fully  crossed. 

Thus  in  jokinj;'  with  the  lessons  of  the  Bible  we  re.^nlt 
in  a  t(  I  rifle  failui-e.  Shall  we  be  failures?  Neither  you  or  1 
wish  to  remain  so.  Come,  let  us  draw  closer  to  the  Sphynx 
of  our  lives  and  behoM  its  gre»t  lesson. 

Don't  hesitate  to  accept  the  truth.  Don't  wait  until  Death 
itself  grips  you  to  proclaim  thy  faith.  Live  with  it,  act  with 
"it,  and  help  others  to  behold  it.     Amen. 


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